If You Only Stopped To Look You Would See The Hurt Within
by Hallow Sisters On My Mind
Summary: Ethel is at home for the summer hoildays and her feelings of being ignored by her parents increase. Her sister tries to reach out to her but is always met with Ethel pushing her away. What will happen when Ethel starts to go downhill and will anyone notice her cry for help? Set in 2017 reboot.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I love the 2017 series and Esmeralda's character and her relationship with Ethel. I have wanted to write this for a while so hope you all enjoy. All chapters are beta edited by my friend Joey.

* * *

 **If You Only Stopped To Look You Would See The Hurt Within**

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

It was a very hot day, well at least it was by British weather standards. All the houses in the streets had windows fully open as the residents tried to get some relief from the scorching heat and everyone was out enjoying the sunshine in shorts and t-shirts secretly hoping they got tanned and not burned.

In a posh neighbourhood stood a mansion with beautiful gardens and a fountain outside. There was over twenty rooms in the mansion and it housed the richest family in the neighbourhood. This mansion housed the Hallow family which consisted of Mr and Mrs Hallow and their three daughters. Esmeralda, Ethel and Sybil.

* * *

The middle daughter was currently in her bedroom which was fairly large for a bedroom. The blonde was sat on the floor lost in concentration as her eyes darted across the words on the page of the book she was reading. The young girl had been so engrossed in her book that when she heard a knocking noise she jumped, causing her cat Nightstar who had been sleeping next to her to meow at her.

She looked around for a few seconds confused as to what the noise could have been. Then she realised someone was knocking on her bedroom door.

Ethel positioned her book back onto her lap and called her cat over again now that she realised there was no threat before answering to the knock.

"Come in" the young girl said without glancing up from her book.

Ethel heard her bedroom door open slowly but whoever it was at the door did not enter her bedroom. Ethel waited a few moments for the person to tell her what they wanted but she could sense whoever it was was still stood in the doorway.

The blonde girl slowly looked up from her book and raised her eyebrows at the person who was distracting her.

"Yes?" Ethel said kind of rudely. She did not like to be disturbed whilst reading her book.

"Ethie" a girl who was taller than her said as she finally stepped into her room.

Esmeralda was the eldest Hallow sister. She had blonde hair too but it was a darker shade than Ethel's and brown eyes as well as a sweet face. She was two years older than Ethel and would be in year four when they returned to school as Ethel was going to be in year two and Sybil in year one.

"What is it Esmeralda?" Ethel asked as she looked at her older sister.

"I came to see if you were okay...you are not seriously studying are you?" Esmie said surprised to see that she was studying during the holidays.

"Yes I am studying" Ethel replied simply.

"But...it's the holidays we have only been off a few days, you have six weeks before you need to worry about that stuff." Esmeralda said as she went and sat on the floor next to her younger sister.

"Well unlike some people I have to study, I am not perfect at everything." Ethel replied snapping at her perfect older sister.

The younger sister had light blonde hair and blue eyes and braces. The girl was normally getting into trouble unlike her sister.

"I am not perfect Ethel." Esmie replied not understanding why her sister was always so insistent that she was.

Before Ethel had started at school the fact that her sister was older had not been such a big issue but last year Ethel had started to resent her sister. The witches code was a code all witches had to follow and one thing the witches code said was the eldest daughter inherited everything. This would not have annoyed Ethel so much if her sister was not seemingly perfect at everything.

Ethel clearly did not believe her sister because she looked back at her book without replying to her sister's statement.

"You can not stay in your room all day with weather like this." Esmie said trying to coax her out.

"Oh really?" Ethel asked saracatically.

"I know why don't we do something? We can go to the cinema, or a museum or go and get an ice cream, we can even just go to the library if you insist on studying." Esmie suggested wanting to get her sister out of the house in the nice weather.

"I am perfectly fine here" Ethel replied content in sitting on her floor and reading all day.

"If this is about last year...I told you I have forgiven you for that." Esmeralda told her honestly over that issue now.

At the end of last year Ethel had tricked her sister into giving her powers to the evil Agatha Cackle because she had thought if she was not a witch she would get the attention. Esmie had lost her powers and Agatha had taken over the school but things did not go to plan. Miss Gullet who was working with Agatha turned Esmeralda into a trophy and when the school was about to collapse Ethel had gone to rescue her sister. Once Ada Cackle the headmistress and Hecate Hardbroom were free from the painting Agatha had trapped them in they had turned Esmeralda back and her powers were returned. For a few days after this incident Esmeralda had thought Ethel would stop pushing her away but once they had returned home Ethel closed off again.

"It is not about last year" Ethel said growing annoyed.

"Then stop shutting me out, I am trying to help you, we don't have to go out anywhere far or anything." Esmie replied just wanting her sister to be her friend and do something with her.

Ethel had a short temper and was already annoyed at her sisters nagging to go out and do something.

"Grr I don't want to go out anywhere and I don't want to do anything, if you are so desperate to go out take Sybil for ice cream, oh wait." Ethel said pausing for a moment "Mum and dad would never let you take their precious little darling baby girl out if it was only you two, I mean what if she scraped her knee, that would be the end of the world for them." Ethel replied angrily regarding her younger sister.

"But Ethie" Esmie started but was cut off by her sister.

"Can you please just go? I am busy" Ethel said turning back to her book, done with this discussion.

Esmeralda sat there for a few seconds not knowing how to respond before she stood up.

"Alright but if you change your mind." Esmie replied telling her she still had the option to do something if she chose too.

"I won't" Ethel said. Esme nodded a little and walked to her sisters door before walking out and closing it behind her.

* * *

Esmeralda was worried about her little sister. The younger girl had locked herself in her room since they finished school and had only come out for mealtimes or if their parents forced them to go out somewhere. The rest of the time she was studying alone.

"Esmie, Esmie" someone was saying as the oldest girl was lost in thought.

"ESMIE" someone shouted waving their hand in front of her face. The girl came out of her trance and looked down seeing an even younger girl looking at her.

Sybil was the youngest Hallow girl. She had darker blonde hair like her elder sister but blue eyes like her older sister.

"Oh you alright Sybil?" Esmie asked her youngest sister kindly.

"I am okay, are you?" Sybil asked as she realised her sister had been lost in thought.

"Yes, I was just thinking about Ethel." Esmie admitted to her.

"She seems to be acting the same to me." Sybil said having not noticed anything different.

Esmeralda smiled slightly at that. Sybil had not seen her in nearly a year so she would not notice a change like Esmie did.

"I am just worried she is getting isolated that is all, did you need help with something?" Esmeralda asked offering to help her youngest sister if she needed it.

"Yes, can you help me study for the entrance exam tomorrow?" Sybil asked knowing her eldest sister still held the highest score for her entrance exam and her help would guarantee her place at the school.

"Okay sure" Esmeralda replied willingly happy to help her.

* * *

Esmeralda followed the youngest girl into her bedroom and sat down on the bed with her. She knew the youngest was nervous about her entrance exam.

"Right so which part do you want help with, the potion part or the written exam?" Esmeralda asked wanting to know which area was needed to help her with.

"Both" Sybil replied as she sat next to her sister, wanting to get as much help as she could in every area.

The two girls studied for hours making sure that Sybil was ready for her entrance exam tomorrow morning but at the back of her mind Esmeralda was worrying about Ethel. She could not help feeling Ethel was going further downhill. She was going to do something to help her ,to find out what is going on. She had the whole summer to figure it out and to do something about it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It was early morning but that did not mean the Hallow residence was silent. In fact, it was quite loud for the time of the morning it was.

The two youngest Hallow sisters were currently fighting over the box of cereal. They had reached for the box at the same time and now both wanted the box first. Their father was sat at the end of the table near to them reading his newspaper not seeming to mind his youngest two bickering and their mother was sat at the other end of the table reading a book. She was glancing at the two girls now and then but did not seem too bothered if they were making noise.

"Oi you two stop that" Esmeralda said as she stepped into the kitchen in her school uniform and saw her two little sisters.

The two girls did not listen to their older sister so the oldest girl went and stood between them and took the box they were fighting over.

"Hey!" Ethel complained seeing it as unfair that Esmie stole the cereal off her.

"I told you to stop" Esmie said as she poured cereal into Sybil's bowl.

"Hey why does she get it first?" Ethel asked hating that Sybil had the first pour of the cereal not her.

"Because Ethie we both have to leave in twenty minutes" Esmie said as she gave her other sister some cereal and then proceeded to pour them both milk not trusting them not to start fighting again. After she had done this she sat down for her own breakfast already stressed out and she was not even the one taking any exams!.

* * *

Twenty minutes later it was time for Esmie and Sybil to go. Of course Sybil had her entrance exam for Cackle's academy and Esmie was once again helping out by giving the first years a tour so both the girls would be out of the house most of the day.

"Right Esmeralda, watch Sybil, make sure she doesn't get hurt, don't leave her with any strangers, don't let her panic about the exams too much, don't let her wander off..." their mother said to her eldest going on a lot, panicking over her youngest child.

"Yes mum I know, I am not going to let her walk on a burning bridge don't worry." Esmie replied still a bit stressed from earlier that morning and now hearing her mum go on and on over Sybil's safety.

"Okay good, ooo my little Sybil is all grown up" the woman said as she kissed her youngest repeatedly babying her.

"Ethie, come and give me a hug" Esmie said as her mum was distracted. She always liked to make sure her sister knew she cared about her.

"I am going to see you in only a few hours" Ethel replied raising her eyebrows and staying in her seat sadly watching her mother fussing over her little sister.

Esmeralda looked over to see what her sister was looking at and sighed knowing her sister was wishing she could be in that situation. Esmie smiled and walked over to her younger sister and put her arms around the girls neck as she was sat down.

"What are you doing?" Ethie asked confused as to her sisters actions.

"Hugging my little sister, is that allowed?" Esmie asked saracatically as she then proceeded to kiss the blonde girl on each cheek.

"Err stop being soppy" Ethel said as her sister laughed and pulled away.

"I am the eldest, it is my job" Esmie said as she touched her sisters shoulder lovingly and walked away to her other sister.

"Right are you ready to go?" Esmie asked Sybil knowing they needed to get going for school.

"Yes you best get going just be careful" their mother said as the two of them headed out the door waving to their family.

* * *

For the first time since the summer holidays started Ethel was excited. She knew she was her parents least favourite daughter but with Esmie and Sybil gone for the day she could not wait to get the attention they always receive. As soon as her sisters had left she jumped out of her chair and ran into the sitting room where her mother and father had moved to unable to keep the smile off her face at the thought of spending the whole day with her parents alone.

"Mum, Dad?" Ethel said excitedly ready to see what they could all do together.

"What is wrong Ethel?" her mother asked unenthusiastically as she kept her eyes on her book not making eye contact with her middle child.

"Well Esmie and Sybil are gone for the day so because they are gone, why don't we go somewhere, just the three of us?" Ethel suggested happily really hoping they would be able to do something fun on a rare opportunity.

At this suggestion her mother and father both lowered what they had been reading at pretty much the same time and looked at each other.

"Oh I just remembered, sorry Ethel we can't, we have to go out." her mother said as though someone had just reminded her of something else she had to do.

"What? Where?" Ethel asked feeling her happiness pop like a balloon. Shrinking with each word they say to her.

"We promised we would meet someone from my work, sorry but we have to go." her father said as both of them stood up getting ready to go out.

"Take me with you, I will be good" Ethel said desperate for her parents to prove they do care about her. To give her some much needed one on one time.

"We can't Ethel, it is business stuff." her father said sternly to her shutting up her complaining. As they both walked out the room Ethel followed behind them, hoping they could still take her or one of them could spend time with her.

"But mum..." Ethel started but her mum quickly shut her up before she could even finish her thought.

"Sorry Ethel we have no choice, we will be back in a few hours." her mother said as her and her husband walked through the door leaving Ethel standing there alone.

* * *

Ethel felt every once of hope, every bit of happiness she had disappear in that moment. She had always in the back of her mind hoped maybe, just maybe, her parents loved her in their own way but that was the moment she realised they didn't. Neither of them would spend time with her even when none of her sisters were there to ruin it.

The blonde girl walked slowly with her head down facing her feet walking towards her bedroom. She had been let down before but never like this. Ethel was not stupid she knew her parents had nothing planned they just wanted to get away from her. They were content in reading before she spoke up to them happy and asking for just a small piece of their time. Then they suddenly wanted to get away from her, making an excuse to leave her alone.

She had never felt a sadness quite like this in her twelve years of life. Her heart felt like it had broken into pieces as she entered her bedroom. The blonde went and lay down on her bed as Nightstar came up and snuggled up to her owner.

"At least you love me Nightstar." Ethel said as she did something she did not do often.

Ethel cried silently to herself stroking her cat as she did so. She sobbed with a million questions going around in her head. Why did her parents hate her? What did she do? She did not feel part of the family, she felt like an outsider in her own home. Why were Esmie and Sybil so precious and she wasn't? Why wouldn't her parents even spare just a few minutes for her? Why? Why? Why?

She knew she did not belong in this family. Sometimes she got it into her head Esmeralda loved her but was she genuine or did she feel sorry for her? What about Sybil? They fought like cat and mouse but she did not think she hated her either. So maybe she had two people that possibly loved her. But they weren't her parents, it was their love she always wanted so badly.

After half an hour of crying, Ethel sat up and picked up the book she had been reading for the last few days trying not to think about her parents. Trying to ignore the nagging pain in her heart and mind. Trying to ignore those questions that were burning her and hurting her that much more.

* * *

Hours later when Ethel was sat in her room staring into space she heard the front door open and people walk in. She could tell by the voices it was her parents but she did not move. She did not want to see them. They wouldn't want to see her anyway.

A few minutes later Ethel had been lost in her dark thoughts so she did not hear her sisters return until she heard cheering and crying.

* * *

"Oh well done my little Sybil, oh I knew you could do it, I just knew it!" her mum said so happy that her youngest girl had gotten into the school.

"Yes she did really well" Esmie said stroking her little sister's hair, beaming with pride.

"We should go out and celebrate, where do you want to go Sybilly?" her father asked proud of his youngest for doing so well in her exam.

"Can we go for ice cream?" Sybil asked loving the attention her parents were giving her.

"Of course precious" her mother said with so much pride and joy in her voice.

"Where is Ethie?" Esmeralda asked her mother then as she realised she wasn't there. This confused her she thought Ethel would have lavished in the attention being all on her.

"In her room I suspect" her mother said uncaring looking at her youngest not paying attention.

"Well I will go get her then" Esmie said walking away from her parents without them even noticing as her parents were too busy fussing over Sybil.

She wasn't going to let Ethel miss out on the celebrations, plus if she had been in the house all day she needed to get her out. It was a good day for their sister and she wanted ice cream, so the whole family were going to get some. The hard part was thinking what to say to Ethie to get her to come out, she was harder to speak too than normal at the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Esmeralda made her way up the stairs towards her little sister's room still in her school uniform and knocked twice.

"Ethie it's me" Esmie said as her knock got no reply.

"Go away" Ethie replied rudely not wanting anyone to bother her.

Esmie rolled her eyes. Her sister was seriously worse than a teenager sometimes. She opened her sister's bedroom door and walked in.

Esmie was shocked by the sight that met her. Her little sister was lying on her bed slowly stroking Nightstar and staring into space. Her eyes were red she was clearly upset about something. Esmie knew Ethel didn't cry often, she actually kept her feelings in a lot and bottled them up so this instantly worried her.

* * *

"Ethie" Esmie said shocked as she rushed into her sister's room worried about the state she was in.

"I am fine, calm down." Ethie said as she heard her sister panicking and coming closer to where she was laying.

"What is wrong? What has happened?" Esmeralda asked as she kneeled down at the foot of her sister's bed so she can talk to her.

"Nothing I was just tired" Ethel lied, not wanting to share with her what happened.

"Look Sybil got into Cackle's" Esmie said changing the subject and trying a different approach.

"She wants to go out for ice cream so you best get ready." Esmeralda said trying to help get her excited for their sister.

"I don't want to go out for ice cream, you will have a better time without me anyway." Ethie replied sadly knowing it was true, they wouldn't miss her if she wasn't there.

"That isn't true, come on we are celebrating for Sybil" Esmie said gently.

"Please just leave me alone" Ethel said as she turned to face the wall feeling her eyes tearing up.

"Ethie" Esmeralda said touching her sisters back and not giving up.

Someone knocked on the open door and the oldest Hallow girl turned to find her dad stood in the doorway.

"Come on you two, we are all ready to go" he said wanting to get going to start the Sybil celebrations.

Esmie stood up and sighed as she shrugged looking at her sister.

"I will go get changed" Esmie said as she left the room to get out of her school uniform leaving her little sister with her dad.

* * *

"Ethel, did you not just hear what I said?" her father said as he saw his middle child still lying in bed.

"I am not coming" Ethel protested, not interested in being part of it.

"Oh yes you are, I am not going to let you spoil your little sister's day now get up" he said raising his voice a little.

When he saw his daughter was making no attempt to move he walked over to her bed and touched her shoulder turning her around to look at him but not with the same gentleness her sister always used with her.

"Ethel Hallow, you will get up and you will get dressed and come out with us as a family, you will eat your ice cream and be happy for your sister, do you understand?" he asked his problem child shouting at her a little but not loudly he did not want Esmie to overhear as he knew how she was with Ethel.

Ethel sighed looking at her father and then moved so she could get out of bed. Once her father was satisfied his daughter was coming he walked to her door.

"You have ten minutes to get ready or I will come up here again." he said as he closed her door, expecting her to be getting herself composed and ready to go out.

* * *

Ethel slowly went down the stairs dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Today she was wearing her hair down and she had splashed water on her face to try and make her appearance somewhat more presentable.

"Right are we all ready? Let's go" their mother said in a chipper voice as her and her husband walked to the door hand in hand with Sybil and Esmie behind them. Esmie took Ethel's hand as they lagged behind their parents.

"Why are you upset Ethie, come on I can't help you if I don't know?" Esmie asked not liking how quiet her sister was being as it was so unlike her.

Ethel looked down at her shoes as they walked not answering her sister the whole way down the drive.

Esmie looked at her sister worriedly until they reached the car.

The family had a car which was not used very often but when they were all going out as a family it was hard to get everyone to the destination through flying so it was only used during these times. Sybil got into the car and then Esmie went in the middle as she really did not trust the other two to not kill each other. Ethel got in the right hand seat and leaned her elbow on the window looking out sadly.

The journey was very awkward for Esmeralda. Sybil was happily chatting away about her exam and what potion she had chosen to make and how the welcome feast was but on her other side Ethel had not muttered a word which just worried the girl more. Ethel usually made some snide comment when Sybil spoke.

* * *

The family arrived at a local ice cream shop and parked before stepping out the car and going in.

In this restaurant the customers seated themselves so the family went and sat at a table for five Esmeralda once again in the middle of her sisters.

Neither of the older two girls were paying attention as their parents ordered as Esmie was looking at Ethel concerned and Ethie was in a world of her own. The young girl leaned her head on her arms looking longingly at the family sat at the table across from them.

It was a family of a mother, an father and three girls just like Ethel's own family but they were so different from her own family. The father's eyes lit up as he looked at each of his daughter's and her mother kissed every girl adorably. The daughters were quite young the oldest looking about eight, the middle girl about six and the youngest about four. The second girl looked at her father and said something and he laughed before picking her of the seat and placing her on his lap kissing her face all over and then he put his arm around his two other girls.

Ethel longed for that. She longed to be looked at the way those parents looked at each of their little girls, the way her parents looked at Esmeralda and Sybil. She felt her chest ache again as she realised it will never happen.

* * *

Ethel was sent out of her trance as something was placed in front of her. She took her head of the table and saw their ice cream had arrived and everyone was already tucking in but then Ethel realised hers was chocolate and she hated chocolate ice cream. Everyone but Esmie had chocolate because her sister hated it too but of course her parents remembered that.

"Is something wrong with the ice cream Ethel?" her mother asked as she saw the middle child just looking at her bowl sadly.

Ethel wanted to scream at her. Yes something was wrong with it she hated chocolate how can they remember Esmeralda hated it but not that she hated it, but she knew she would be the one who got into trouble so she played their game.

"No...sorry I was daydreaming" Ethel said as she picked up her spoon and scooped up some of the ice cream before nibbling on it.

"Here I will switch with you, I don't mind chocolate" Esmie lied, being kind. She really did hate it to but her sister was looking so miserable she could stomach it.

"Don't lie you hate it more than I do" Ethel sighed as she tried to force the cold treat down.

"Okay well then share mine" Esmie said wanting her sister to have a nice treat too.

"No you eat it, I am alright" Ethel said as she stood up from the seat she had been in.

"Where are you going?" her father asked questioningly not happy she had left the table.

"To the bathroom" Ethel said as she walked to the toilets hanging her head.

"Well don't be long your ice cream will melt" her mother said not even looking at her daughter as she said it.

"I...she isn't feeling very well" Esmie said trying to think of a way so that Ethel doesn't have to eat it.

"Ooo, can I have hers too?" Sybil asked happily wanting as much ice cream as she could.

"Sybil" Esmeralda said thinking the youngest was being mean and selfish.

"Well no point it going to waste" her mother said as she took her middle daughters ice cream and gave it to her youngest. Ethel watched from the doorway as her little sister was given her share and then headed into the bathroom needing to get away from her family. They wouldn't notice she was even gone after a few seconds, not until they wanted to leave and go home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

It had been exactly one week since Sybil's celebrations and the Hallow family were excited as they were going on holiday. The whole family were going to spend a lovely two weeks in Lugo, Spain. None of them had ever been but had fallen in love with pictures and were so excited to go.

Currently the family were sat on their aeroplane which was about to take off. All five of them excited about their new experience. All five were sat in one row of seats in first class, their father was sat on the end and then his wife was next to him, then Sybil was sat next to her mother and next to her sat Ethel and Esmie who were sat by the window. Normally the teenager did sit in between her sisters but Ethel was not the best when it came to flying and sitting by the window made her feel queasy.

The flight was two hours and Esmeralda had brought card games to pass the time.

"Who wants to play UNO?" Esmie asked her sisters the cards in her hands ready to play with her sisters.

"ME" Sybil said excitedly wanting to play with her big sister.

"Go on then" Ethie said with a shrug she was still a lot quieter than usual.

Esmeralda dealt out the cards to her sisters and they started to play the simple card game.

"UNO" Ethie practically shouted ten minutes later. The girl was competitive and wanted to beat her sisters.

Sybil then put down a red card and Ethel's was blue meaning she had to pick up another card. She glared at her little sister angrily.

* * *

Before the family knew it the hours were up and they were landing. It was still early out so they had plenty of time to spend their first day exploring.

The family collected their luggage and left the airport getting their first glimpse of the place.

"Great so we live in gloomy England when there are places like this in the world." Ethie commented mesmerised at the stunning views.

"Come on you lot, let's go check into the hotel and then we can start exploring" Mrs Hallow said happily to her whole family.

The family practically ran to their hire car desperate to get their holiday started. They arrived in their hotel and had some lunch in the restaurant as they had not eaten all day before they were ready to explore.

* * *

"I have made a list of all the places I want to go". Esmeralda said as they left the hotel knowing what she wanted to do while there.

"Oh really? Where do you want to go?" her father asked curious at what his daughter wanted to see.

"Well the museums and the art galleries for one." Esmeralda replied sharing with him where she wanted to go.

"They are boring." Sybil complained not wanting to be dragged along on that journey.

"Yes well we all have to go places we don't want to go sometimes." Esmeralda replied wanting to go weather Sybil did or not.

"You are the only one who likes those type of places." her mother replied being on the same side as Sybil.

"Fine then I will go by myself and you lot can go shopping." Esmie replied as she knew exactly where the rest were planning to go.

"I don't want to go shopping." Ethie complained knowing how long her mother was when she shopped.

"Why don't I take Ethie with me then?" Esmie suggested saving Ethie from being bored shopping and grabbing the opportunity to not be alone.

"Esmeralda we can't let you wander around a foreign country." her mother replied not wanting to lose her eldest daughter in an unknown country.

"There is a such thing as a map I am not hopeless you know." Esmie replied knowing she wouldn't be able to get lost.

"Do you have your mobile?" her father asked wanting to ensure her safety.

The teenager reached into her bag pulling it out and showed him to put him at ease.

"Alright, but be careful" their mother replied to the two of them.

* * *

Esmeralda took a hold of her sisters arm and dragged her excitedly towards the market, ready to sight see.

Ethel was being quiet again and didn't say much that is until they reached the fish market.

"Eww they have fish out in the open." she complained hating the sight and smell that was before her.

"I think it is cool" Esmeralda replied finding it fascinating seeing all the fish there.

"It stinks" Ethel said as she held her nose trying to block the smell.

Esmeralda was fed up of her sister moping around. She was on holiday so she should be enjoying herself with this in mind Esmie walked to the counter and picked up a fish putting it in her sisters face.

"Hello Ethie my name is Freddie the fish, now why are we being a grumpychops?" Esmie said in a low voice as she made the fishes mouth move. Ethel could not help but smile.

"You are so weird" Ethel said as she laughed at her sister.

Someone cleared their throat behind the two girls and turning around they saw the owner of the stall glaring at them and he started to shout at them in Spanish.

Esmeralda put the fish back down and opened her bag pulling out a dictionary with Spanish phrases she flicked through it quickly.

"Yo soy miedo" Esmeralda said slowly and stuttering on her words. The man looked at her confused she had clearly not made sense.

"Yo soy loco?" Esmeralda then said to the man. At this Ethel burst into laugher. She found it highly amusing her perfect sister was butchering a language so badly.

"Sorry" Esmie said in English before taking her sisters hand and rushing off.

"You do realise you told him you were crazy don't you?" Ethel said laughing all the way down the street.

* * *

Esmeralda dragged Ethel to museums and art galleries but the girl was in a good mood now. She was actually starting to enjoy her holiday, after a few hours of none stop walking they were both in need of a break and went to a local McDonald's for a drink.

"Don't ask me what I ordered I have not got a clue" Esmeralda said as she sat down and handed her sister a cup.

"Hahha I love that you are so bad at Spanish" Ethie said so elated to be better at her sister at something.

"Oi don't be cheeky" Esmeralda said as she opened the end of a straw and then blew on the exposed straw so the wrapper hit her sister.

"Hey!" Ethie said with a laugh "Aren't you supposed to be a mature teenager?" Ethel asked giving her a questioning look.

Esmeralda shrugged as Ethel took three straws and opened the ends.

"Payback time" Ethel said blowing on the end of all three straws at the same time.

Esmie saw what she was doing a mile away and ducked causing the wrappers to hit the person who was sat behind them in the back of their head.

Ethel sat there with her mouth opened for a second staring as Esmeralda burst into laughter as the man turned around. Ethel drank her drink looking at the floor embarrassed.

"Oh Ethie that was hilarious" Esmeralda said as she laughed more.

"Not as funny as you telling a man that you are crazy, he probably thinks you escaped from a mental hospital or something." Ethel said throwing it back at her sister.

* * *

The girls left after finishing their drinks and enjoyed walking around the place looking at the beautiful sights. Esmeralda was happy. Her and Ethel were really really close when they were younger and she missed her sister laughing and joking with her. They had always been friends as well as sisters and now it seemed they were growing close again. In those few hours it no longer mattered who was the eldest or who was better it only mattered that they had fun.

"This was a great day" Ethie said as she walked with her arm draped around her sister through the shops.

"Yes and guess what we are sharing a room so once mum and dad are in bed we can mess around more." Esmeralda suggested looking forward to having more fun with her little sister.

"Esmie! Suggesting we stay up all night I am a bad influence on you." Ethie said as the girls laughed enjoying each others company.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Esmeralda and Ethel were getting on better on this holiday than they had it many years. Ethel was actually acting happy and they were having a great time together.

The two oldest girls were sharing a room. Sybil was sharing with her parents but there was not enough room for five in one room so Esmie and Ethie were put together not that either girl minded they were having fun.

"I can't believe we are doing this" Ethel said as she reached out to take some more crisps. Both girls were sitting on Ethel's bed at midnight chatting and eating happily.

"Yes well there is no way for mum and dad to know" Esmeralda replied loving getting to see her sister happy.

"Are you still up for scaring ourselves?" Ethel asked ready to watch a film together.

"Of course" Esmie replied as she went and put a horror film on both having agreed to watch one at midnight. Ready to scare themselves with a horror film neither had seen before.

They both watched the film whilst snacking. It was scary but Esmie was trying to not show she was scared because she was the one comforting Ethie.

"I will be back, just going to the bathroom" Ethel said leaving an on edge Esmeralda to watch the film herself.

Ethel watched from the doorway as the film took a scary turn and the protagonist walked down a path in the woods and could hear someone following her. Ethel creeped behind Esmie and waited for the right moment before grabbing her.

Esmie screamed sending the popcorn flying everywhere and Ethel burst into laughter, having successfully scared her older sister.

"Ethie, that was not funny" Esmie said touching her chest as her heart beat rapidly.

"It really was" Ethel said killing herself laughing.

"Right that is it, payback time" Esmie said as she moved her fingers as if getting ready to cast a spell. Ethie knew what she was going to do.

"No, no don't I am sorry" Ethel said as she ran off to hide afraid of what Esmie was going to do to her.

"Come back here" Esmie said chasing her around the room.

"No" Ethie said as she kept running and hid behind a chair. Esmie smirked and flicked her fingers casting a quick spell and watching as it hit her sister.

"AHHH NO PLEASE NOT THE TICKLE SPELL" Ethie shouted feeling the spell working.

Ethel knew that Esmie was aware she could not stand to be tickled and because of this the eldest had learned a spell to tease her sister with.

"Hahaha please" Ethel said as she lay on the floor laughing.

"No, I think you deserve this punishment" Esmeralda said as she stood with her arms folded watching her sister roll around the floor in laughter.

"Esmie I am sorry, please my stomach hurts" Ethel complained through her laughter.

"Alright" Esmeralda said thinking after a few minutes she had been tortured enough so she lifted the spell.

"Thank you" Ethel said holding her stomach which hurt from laughter.

* * *

The majority of the holiday was spent with just the two of them. Sybil did not like to look around attractions and wanted to go to the beach or park so that left the two older ones to explore by themselves. One day a week into their holiday they decided to go a different way.

"Wow" Ethel said as she gasped "Esmie look at that amazing bookshop" Ethel said as she dragged her sister over to the bookshop and pressed her body against the glass staring at the books.

"Let's go in come on" Ethel said excited she had found a shop that sells her favourite things, books.

"What is the point? All the books will be in Spanish anyway" Esmie commented but followed her sister in.

"It is huge" Ethel commented as she saw how many floors there was in the shop.

"Well you go and look I will wait here" Esmie said knowing her sister hated to be rushed as she looked at books.

Esmie sat down knowing she will have a long wait for her sister when a teenager about her age went and looked at some books next to her. Esmeralda looked at him and raised her eyebrows. He was cute, he had tanned skin and brown hair and brown eyes.

Esmeralda got up and walked to the same section as him so she could eye him up now and then he turned towards her and smiled.

"Hola" he said as he saw her next to him.

Esmeralda cleared her throat telling herself she had to act like she knew what he was talking about.

"Hola" Esmeralda replied back flicking her hair out of her face.

"Me llamo es Pedro" the young boy said smiling at the pretty girl stood before him. Esmeralda did not realise Ethel was watching from the floor above.

"Err...Esmeralda" she replied unsure how to reply.

"¿Cuantos años tienes?" Pedro asked her trying to find out more about the girl.

Esmie smiled she knew that the boy had just asked her how old she is. Problem is she had no idea how to say fourteen.

"Oh err...sesenta dos" Esmerlda replied saying the first number that she remembered. Ethel unbeknown to Esmie dropped the book she had been holding and burst into laughter.

"Sesenta dos!? " Pedro asked her in shock at what she had just said.

"Si, er tu?" Esmie replied unconfidently.

"Catorce" he replied with how old he was.

"Estoy aquí con mi hija y me preguntaba si tal vez estabas borracho?" Esmerlda asked stumbling through her sentance.

"Estoy borracho!?" the teen asked insulted at what she'd said to him.

"Si?" Esmie asked not sure what she had said.

"Hija? Qué edad tiene ella?" he asked finding out more from what she'd said.

"Dos" Esme said proudly as she remembered a number.

"Y la dejaste sola?" the boy asked again insulted.

Esmie just nodded way too confused as to what was going on to reply anymore.

"Cómo te atreves!" the teen said before walking out the shop glaring at Esmerlda. Ethel was clutching her stomach trying to remember the last time she laughed so much.

* * *

"That was hilrious, you flirting is funny enough but I can't believe how much you messed it up" Ethie said joining her sister downstairs.

"What did I say?" Esmie asked still at a loss as to what just hapepned.

"The only part you got right was your name, then he asked you how old you were and you said sixty two" Ethel replied still trying hard to stop laughing at the whole thing.

"What!?" Esmie asked shocked that she had gotten it so wrong.

"But the next part was the best you said 'I am here with my daugther and I was wondering if you are drunk'" Ethel said with a smirk. The girl had studied Spanish through a book and was quite advanced at the language, she had always been a big reader and loved to study languages.

"NOOO" Esmie said covering her face so embarrassed at the whole thing.

"Then he asked you how old your daugther was and you said two, that is why he yelled at you because he thought you had left me alone" Ethel said still laughing at her sister.

"Oh no" Emsie said turning red and covering her face more as her sister laughed her head off next to her.

"That's enough embarrassment for me today lets go join everyone at the beach?" Esmie says linking her arm with her sister as the two of them leave the shop.

"Yeah okay." Ethel says though she didn't really want to leave the bookshop.

The two girls head back the way they came so that they wouldn't get lost and continued to walk down to the beach joining their parents and little sister who were all just lounging around relaxing on the beautiful beach.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The Hallow family were fresh back from their holiday and were all happy and refreshed. Since the holiday Ethel had stopped being quiet and her and Esmeralda were getting on really well as they had really bonded over the holiday.

Currently the family were all eating breakfast and the three sisters were chatting away happily as they ate their breakfast.

"I hope the food at Cackle's is as good as the food here." Sybil said as she tucked into her English breakfast.

"Err yes..." Esme and Ethie said in unison faking a smile. The food at Cackle's was not awful but it was not exactly great either.

"Is HB as scary as I have heard?" Sybil asked curious what it was going to be like.

"Yes, she is really scary but don't worry if you behave yourself she won't do anything." Esmie said reasurring her sister as she buttered her toast.

"Yes I've had a few run ins with her, just try not to get on her bad side." Ethel suggested giving her some tips.

"Yes Ethie here is one of HB's worst pupils." Esmie said jokingly to her.

"Yes and I think Esmie is the only pupil she doesn't want to curse." Ethel said joining in on the joke with her sister.

"No, she probably does want to curse me as well." Esmie said "This is HB we are talking about the only person she probably would never think of cursing is Cackle." Esmeralda said thinking no one but Cackle could get away without being cursed by her.

"That is actually really true." Ethel said happily spooning cereal into her mouth.

* * *

There was suddenly the noise of the letterbox opening meaning the post had just arrived. No-one paid much attention to this as the post was collected by their maids.

"Mister Hallow, the mail." a maid said a few minutes later as she went to collect it all.

"Thank you Melody." he said taking the letters from her hand and sorting the post into two piles. His post and his wife's.

"Oh, Esmeralda there is a letter here for you." her father said with a slight smile.

"Me? I didn't write to anyone and I am not waiting for anything." Esmie replied confused she never got mail.

"Well it has your name on it." her father said not paying much attention as he was still sorting out the rest of the mail.

Esmeralda nodded and stood up walking to where her father was and took her letter before walking back to her seat and sitting down.

"Maybe it is from a secret admirer." Sybil said with a laugh. Ethel laughed too.

"No such luck, it is from Cackle's." Esmeralda said as she turned the letter over and saw the return address at the back of the envelope.

"Why are Cackle's sending you a letter? That never happens." Ethel replied confused why she'd gotten a letter from the school. Letters were sent to students parents with things needed for school but never to a student directly.

"I have not got a clue." Esmie replied just as clueless as her sisters.

"Maybe they are writing to tell you they have changed their minds and you are expelled after giving your powers to Agatha?" Sybil suggested having been more or less filled in on what happened last year.

"Shh mum and dad will hear you." Esmie said as the two girls had never told their parents what had happened.

"Or maybe Cackle and HB are offering you free Spanish lessons so next time you try to flirt with a Spanish guy you don't embarrass yourself." Ethie suggested with a smirk.

"Haha very funny." Esmie replied not impressed by Ethel's remark.

"What did you get Esmeralda?" her mother asked from across the table as she noticed she had not opened the letter yet.

"It is from Cackle's." Esmie simply replied.

"Really?" Her mother said already getting excited at what may be inside the letter.

"Well open it then." her father said as they all gathered around her.

"Alright" Esmie said nervously hoping it was something good considering her whole family was gathered around her.

She slowly opened the envelope and took the letter out before unfolding it, feeling all her family's eyes on her. She scanned the words with her eyes and then gasped.

"What is it?" Ethel asked wondering why she had gasped.

"I...I can't believe it." Esmie said still in shock at what she'd read.

"Why? What does it say?" her mum asked anxious with anticipation.

"They...they have made me headgirl!" Esmie finally got out still in shock.

"What?" her father said taking the letter and reading it not believing his ears.

"She is right! 'We are pleased to inform you that we have decided to make you head girl'" her father read a small snippet from the letter.

After her father read that line things got hectic. Esmie's parents both leaped on her kissing and hugging her proudly. Her mother was crying in happiness. Sybil jumped up and down clapping her hands knowing just how amazing of an achievement it was. Ethel beamed and hugged her sister.

"Congratulations Esmie." Ethel said honestly happy for her sister.

Esmie smiled trying to hug everyone at once, so overwhelmed with everything.

"Let's see the badge then." Ethie said excited and wanting to see it.

"Oh yes, I forgot about that." Esmie said as she shook the envelope and a shiny purple badge that read 'Headgirl' fell out.

"Ooo it is so shiny." Ethel said as she picked it up looking at it mesmerised.

"Let me see." Sybil said trying to take it from Ethel.

"In a minute." Ethel said having not finished yet.

"Give it to me, you are not letting me see." Sybil said impatiently.

"Get of Sybil." Ethel moaned annoyed she wasn't getting a few minutes to look and admire the badge.

"Oi you two be careful not to break that." their father said taking the badge off of them.

* * *

After breakfast Ethel went up to her room to relax finally letting her happy and brave mask fall.

Ethel was super happy for Esmeralda. She knew she would be a great headgirl as she cared about all the pupils but she could not help feeling heartbroken as well. Her dream had always been to be headgirl and that dream could still become a reality in later years but her parents would not take any notice as Esmie did it first.

She was upset and angry. Esmie got everything easily, nothing ever went wrong for her. She cried silently as she sat on her bed and then picked up a photo frame on her bedside table.

It was a picture of Esmie with her arms wrapped around Ethie and they were both beaming for the camera. It was a very recent picture that had been taken on their holiday and Ethie had framed it as it brought her happy memories. Right now she was really angry and upset and was not thinking straight so she did something stupid.

She threw the photo in anger and it hit the wall and bounced off the glass shattering into a million pieces. She cast a spell cleaning up the broken glass as she started to think. She had to do something to get her parents attention, something that Esmie would not do first.

It came to her and she threw the photo in the bin sadly telling herself she will get a new frame later before she ran out of her room needing to go to the library.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Esmeralda had not seen her sister since that morning when she had gotten the news that she was headgirl. Esmie was not daft she knew Ethel would be upset because she always felt everything went right for Esmeralda which is how the young teenager found herself outside her sister's room.

"Ethie it's me" Esmie said cheerfully as she knocked. She had not realised her sister had gone out.

This of course got no answer as Ethel was not in the room.

"Ethie?" Esmie said as she knocked on the door again worried her sister was upset.

When she still got no answer she walked in and started to talk.

"I was thinking why don't we go to that new..." she stopped as she opened her sister's door and saw her room was empty.

She looked around confused as she had not been told Ethel had gone out. She was just about to close the door to go look elsewhere when something caught her eye.

The sun was quite bright on that summer's day and the sun was shining on the broken glass in the bin. Esmeralda walked to the bin confused and lifted the broken photo frame out.

She looked at the broken frame and realised it was one of the pictures from their holiday.

"OWW" Esmie said loudly dropping the photo frame as she had cut herself on one of the sharp broken edges of glass.

The palm of her hand started to bleed from the cut and she ran out of her sisters room to the bathroom to run her hand under the tap. As she was washing her injury she started to wonder why the frame was broken in the first place, Ethel was not normally the clumsy sort.

She turned the tap off and flicked her uninjured hand towards the cut so that it would heal over. Esmie was quite good at first aid spells considering she had sisters who were younger and were always getting injured.

* * *

After she had healed her hand she went down the stairs and found her parents talking happily to each other.

"Where is Ethie?" Esmeralda asked them still looking around.

"Oh she went out" her mum replied not expanding on it.

"Oh where too?" Esmie asked wanting to know where she was.

"I don't know" her father replied simply not bothered where exactly she was.

"You didn't ask her?" Esmie asked concerned that no one knew where she had gone.

"No, she will be fine" her mother replied not seeming concerned over her second daughter's whereabouts.

* * *

Ethel walked happily to the local witches library which was only ten minutes away from the Hallow residence. Walking in the door she once again just stopped and stared for a few moments at the amount of books that were there.

She shook her head coming out of her trance as she went to look for the section she needed.

"Potions...Witching History...Broomstick flying." she read slowly as she ran her fingers along the spines.

"Spells" she finally found the section she was looking for.

Though she had found the right section it still took her a while to find the book she wanted.

"Beginner's spells, forbidden spells, quick and simple spells, advanced spells, Senior spells." as she read the last section she smiled and took three books of the shelf wanting to make sure that they had the topic she was interested in.

She had found the books she wanted but now she had an even bigger books she wanted to take out were age restricted. Only older witches were allowed to take them because the magic could be dangerous in the wrong person's hands.

Ethel snook two books into the bag she had brought and then went to the desk to take out two other books that she didn't want. She did this so no one would suspect she was taking any other books out.

Ethel walked out the library with no problem and ran home feeling like someone would stop her for taking the books. But she was going to return it so it was not stealing right? Just temporarily borrowing.

* * *

Returning home Esmeralda hugged her sister as soon as she saw her, relived she was okay and returned safe.

"I only went to the library." Ethel commented confused why she was all over her.

"I was worried, you never told me where you were going." Esmie replied expressing her worry to her sister.

"Sorry I thought you knew." Ethie replied assuming her older sister knew she would have been there.

"Oh Ethie, what happened to that photo frame? I wasn't prying I just happened to notice it." Esmie asked bringing it up.

"Oh, Nightstar knocked it down." Ethel lied not wanting her sister to know she was upset and angry and had smashed it herself.

"Oh...well I put it in the main bin for you I cut my hand on it." Esmie replied sharing what she had done.

"Are you okay?" Ethel asked concerned that her sister was hurt.

"Yes don't worry about me, oh I was going to ask you do you want to go to that new cafe and try some cake? Sybil is driving me nuts I need to get out for a bit." Esmie asked wanting to get out the house and have some time alone with Ethie.

"Sure just let me go and put my books in my room, will be down soon." Ethie said before she went upstairs and took out the two books she had taken hiding them at the back of her bookshelf for later. Then went to join her sister for some time alone with her at the new cafe that had opened.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Esmeralda and Ethel walked to the new cafe happily arm in arm. They sat at a table at the back together.

"Can we get some chips?" Ethel asked as their parents did not really ever give them chips.

"Of course, wait here I will go order some." Esmie said as she went to the counter to order and then returned.

"Are you looking forward to going back to school?" Esmie asked as she sat down and waited for their order.

"I suppose...though everything always goes wrong because of that Mildred Hubble." Ethel replied not looking forward to more drama from Mildred.

"This fighting is silly, why don't you try to be civil?" Esmie asked wishing the two girls would just get on already.

"Because she ruins everything for me!" Ethel replied angrily thinking of that girl.

"She doesn't mean to do it, Mildred is sweet she is just...accident prone." Esmie replied sharing what was wrong about Mildred and why these things happen.

"I bet you would rather have her as a sister instead." Ethel replied with a sigh.

Esmie was interrupted before she got to reply by the waitress bringing their chips. She picked up some sachets of sauce and played with them before replying.

"No, I love having you as a sister even though you can be a nightmare, but so can Sybil, I think it is just a little sister thing." Esmie said knowing both are a nightmare.

Ethel smiled happy her sister did not want Mildred as a sister instead.

"Oh I don't like ketchup on chunky chips." Ethel said as she saw her sister playing with the sachets. She thought it was easier just to tell her as no-one ever remembered.

"I know, you like vinegar on chunky chips, I wasn't even looking at what sauces I was picking up." Esmie said having just been playing with them.

Esmeralda liked vinegar on chips too so she opened a sachet and poured it on the chips sensing Ethel staring at her.

"What are you staring at?" Esmie asked with a laugh as she looked up at her sister.

"I am just surprised you remembered something I like." Ethel said as no one ever did remember.

"I know everything you like for example you only like vanilla ice cream but with strawberry sauce you hate chocolate you like all sweets but liquorice and you hate anything lemon flavoured." Esmie said as she picked up a chip with a fork and ate it.

"I did not realise you knew so much about me." Ethel said surprised as she too ate a chip.

"Of course I do, I know everything you hate and like." Esmeralda replied like it was nothing and why wouldn't she have known everything.

Ethel smiled happily enjoying her time with her sister.

"What about you are you looking forward to going back to school?" Ethel asked throwing the same question she was asked earlier back to her sister.

"Yes I guess so." Esmie said with a shrug as she was not bothered either way.

"Are you nervous about being headgirl?" Ethel asked wondering how her sister was actually feeling about a role as big as that.

"Of course I am, if anything goes wrong it goes back to me, hopefully these new first years are better behaved." Esmie replied with a laugh.

"Well Sybil is one of them so I would not hold out to much hope." Ethie replied as she ate another chip and then laughed.

"True, if they are anything like your year I will have my hands full." Esmie replied with a laugh.

"Oh I forgot to ask how exactly is Sybil driving you nuts?" Ethie asked wanting to know more.

"She won't stop asking questions, I think I have answered the same thing about two thousand times." Esmeralda replied expressing how her younger sister was driving her nuts.

"Do you think she will be alright at school? I mean she has not been away from mum and dad for longer than a few hours since the day she was born." Ethel commented concerned how her younger sister would do.

"I think it is going to be a big shock I don't think she realises that yet. I always told mum and dad smothering her so much was not a good idea." Esmie remarked as she had tried to help the girl out previously.

"Yes well because they nearly lost her I guess it just made them overprotective." Ethel replied with a shrug.

"And I understand that, of course her being premature is going to make her more precious to them but that little girl is going to take weeks maybe even months to adjust when term starts." Esmie replied knowing it will be a hard adjustment for her.

"Yes, in a way I suppose it is good mum and dad ignore me because I adjusted from day one." Ethie replied having found one advantage of the way her parents treat her.

Esmeralda ate another chip trying to think of her reply carefully. Talking about their parents was always a touchy subject.

"Well I suppose it much easier that way." Esmie replied with the simplest reply.

"I suppose so." Ethie said playing with her fork.

"So...what books did you take out the library." Esmie asked trying to change the subject.

"Oh some potions books and a spell book, you know I always like to read." Ethel replied not saying exactly what she had taken out.

* * *

Half an hour later the two sisters made their way back home and both arrived home going to their own rooms for a bit of alone time. Ethel walked into her bedroom and stroked Nightstar before walking to her bookshelf. She took out the books from the back of her bookshelf, looked to make sure her door was closed and opened the book to the place she had bookmarked with a smile. The page she was reading said:

 _The transfer spell:_

 _The transfer spell allows the user to move from one place to another in a split second. This spell which was once very rare has now become widely popular and is used by witches all over the world daily. Although the spell is useful it is very advanced so is not taught to witches until their college years. All witches must past a test to legally be allowed to use the transfer spell._

"It is my turn now." Ethel said with a smile telling herself she was going to be the first child in history to master the transfer spell.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The three Hallow sisters were happily tucking into a Sunday roast when their parents started to talk.

"Girls." their mother said to get their attention.

All three blonde girls looked up curiously. Their parents tended not to talk at mealtimes so it was unusual.

"We have something to tell you." their father said starting to announce something to the girls.

"You aren't having another baby are you?" Ethel asked not sure if she would like that. Esmie snorted at her question and Ethie glared at her.

"No!" their father simply replied ignoring the fact Esmie was laughing.

"Grandma Josephine...is in the country." their mother said happily.

"Really?" Sybil asked happily beaming all over.

"Yes darling she arrived last night and she said all of you can stay at her rental house for the last week of the holidays." their father said happily announcing the exciting news to his girls.

All three sisters smiled and looked at each other really excited.

Grandma Josephine was their mother's mum, their other grandma lived fairly local but Grandma Josephine had moved to Australia eight years ago after their granddad died. Neither of them had seen her in four years as she couldn't make the journey every year.

"I am glad you approve, you are all leaving first thing tomorrow morning." their mother said sharing how suddenly they would be leaving.

"Oh wait, I have that meeting tomorrow, the one with Cackle and HB." Esmie said only now remembering in her excitement.

"Can't you miss it?" her father asked simply knowing this was a rare opportunity.

"No, that will look like I don't care about my position of headgirl. It is only in the morning I can meet Ethie and Sybil there afterwards." Esmie suggested thinking of a solution quickly.

"Alright it is settled, I will let her know." their mother said as they all went back to eating.

* * *

The next day Esmeralda went to her meeting. It was quite boring all about what her role entitles and rules and regulations. She was more than happy to get home afterwards.

Esmeralda stopped at home to collect the things she was taking to her gran's and she had to take both her cat, Jasper and Ethel's cat Nightstar as well.

She went to Ethel's room first and snook in. Nightstar hated going in the carrier so she had to trick the cat.

"Nightstar." she said giving the cat a stroke and then going to pick her up. Unfortunately the cat was way too smart and knew what was happening so he jumped out of her arms knocking Ethel's pillows onto the floor in her rush.

"Nightstar." Esmie said with a sigh as she picked up the pillows to put them back where they belong only then noticing a book was lying face down on the floor underneath them.

She picked it up and realised it was handwritten and she recognised her sisters writing. Realising it was some sort of journal she went to close it knowing Ethel would never forgive her for reading her private diary but then the bottom of the page caught her eye. The ink was smudged as if that part had gotten wet, so even though she knew how wrong it was her curiosity got the better of her and she started to read.

The entry the book had landed on was dated the day that Sybil had her entrance exam

 _Today is Sybil's entrance exam so her and Esmie are out for the whole day. I really thought this time it was my turn to get the fuss and attention but I should have known better. Mum and dad could not have left the house quick enough, why do they hate me? I know I am not perfect like Esmie but I try to be. My heart is hurting so much, I don't know what to do._

Esmeralda read that entry sadly. She had not realised her sister felt quite so isolated. She turned the pages looking for the entry from last week when she had become head girl. She found it and started to read that too.

 _Esmeralda got a letter today saying that she had been made headgirl. I must be a bad person because I am really happy for her but at the same time I am not. It is not fair everything is so easy for Esmie she doesn't have to even try to get what she wants. Becoming Headgirl has always been my dream and now even if I do become headgirl mum and dad won't care._

The entry finished but then over the page she had written something else.

 _Why do mum and dad hate me so much? I don't understand what is so special about Esmie and Sybil? I know no-one loves me. Esmie is nice because she has to be and Sybil only puts up with me because she has to. I wish I had a different family, they would all be much happier without me anyway, no-one even notices me when I am here._

Esmeralda was shocked. She knew her parents and Ethel hadn't the best relationship but Ethel did not really mention it much, she had no idea it upset her so much. She read the next entry feeling herself growing more sad with each line.

 _Do they hate me because I am bad? Is it because I misbehave? Maybe it is because I am their trouble child. If they ever knew what happened last year with Agatha they would probably disown me, thankfully Esmeralda promised to keep it between us._

Esmeralda was getting upset so she didn't want to keep reading but somehow she could not stop herself.

 _I am alone in the world. My parents don't want me, my sisters don't want me. Grandma Josephine has always been nice to me but she is never here and I don't even have any friends. Everyone loves that Mildred Hubble, I only have Drusilla but she doesn't even like me either I can tell she only hangs out with me because she had no one else._

Esmeralda took a deep breathe feeling an incredible sadness. She always hated when either of her sisters were sad, but Ethel really seemed to be unhappy. She realised then Ethel was always acting. She was always pretending she was okay when really she was hurting a lot.

* * *

Esmeralda jumped out of her skin as her mobile phone rang. Unlike normal teenagers she only used the phone so her family could contact her. She wiped her eye and picked it up trying to make her voice sound as normal as possible.

"H...Hello." she said speaking to the person on the other end.

"Darling are you at your Grandma's yet?" her mother asked on the other end.

"I am just about to go now, I will call you tonight." Esmie said as she hung up not feeling like having a huge conversation with her mother right now.

Esmeralda stood up and replaced the diary under Ethel's pillow as she let a few tears fall feeling incredibly guilty.

Nightstar rubbed against her legs seeing she was upset and Esmie stroked her gently crying silently as the cat comforted her.

"Come on Nightstar, Ethel needs you to look after her." Esmie said as the cat seemed to understand and went into the carrier without making a fuss. Esmie ready now to head to her grandma's house and join her sisters there.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Esmie rang the doorbell of her grandma's house and waited to be let in even though she was incredibly sad about what she had read about Ethel. After a few minutes a woman who looked a lot like Ethie but much older opened the door and gasped.

"Esmeralda...little Esmeralda is that you?" her grandma said taking in her granddaughter's appearance.

Esmeralda blushed at her grandma calling her little Esmeralda.

"Look at you, you are so big, last time I saw you you were Sybil's age, my little Esmie is head girl." her grandma said taking her into a hug.

"Grandma." Esmie said embarrassed as her grandma kissed her cheek.

"I can't believe you are fourteen where do the years go? And my little ones are twelve and eleven it is so hard to believe." her grandma said gushing over how big the girls were.

"Well you look good grandma." Esmie said seeing how well her grandma looked.

"Thank you darling, come on let's go see the others before they start to miss us." Grandma Josephine said leading Esmie into the house.

Esmie followed her grandma and found her sisters playing a game of monopoly.

"Ugh not monopoly it takes forever." Esmie said as she sat on the floor between her sisters.

"You only don't like it because you always lose." Ethie replied with a laugh.

Esmie tried to keep her expression the same. She knew now that deep underneath Ethie was really hurting but she could not let her on to the fact she knew that.

"Who wants cookies?" Grandma Josephine asked her granddaughters holding a plate of cookies.

"Alright, mum never gives us anything sweet." Sybil said as she took two happily from the plate.

"How was your meeting Esmie dear?" their grandma asked wanting to know how it went.

"Boring." Esmie said honestly.

"I am going to be headgirl someday too grandma." Ethie said with a smile.

"Oh I know my little gumdrop." their grandma said as she wrapped her arms around the second oldest and kissed her. "But I love you always anyway." her grandma said fussing over Ethie.

When Sybil was born because she was so ill and Ethie was so young, Grandma Josephine had looked after Ethel a lot as their parents were at the hospital so they had a special connection.

"I am bored of this." Sybil complained now bored of monopoly.

"Well I don't think we have ever finished a game." Esmie replied knowing someone always gets bored playing.

"Can I go play your piano grandma?" Sybil asked having always loved the old piano her grandma owned which she had taken with her to Australia but there was still one in the house they were in.

"Of course darling, actually I need to talk to Ethel alone why don't you go up?" their grandma suggested.

"I will take her." Esmie said as she left with her youngest sister.

* * *

Ethel was nervous she was going to be told off as she assumed her parents had told her about everything that had happened at school.

"Don't look so worried darling, come sit down." her grandma said put her arm around the blonde girl and leading her to the maroon sofa. They sat down and her grandma gave her a bag.

"I didn't want to give it to you in front of the other two, open it." her grandma said excitably.

Ethel reached into the silk bag and pulled out a hard backed book titled "The Witches Promise". This book had been her favourite growing up and she still liked to take it down to read now and then.

"Open the cover." her grandma said with a smile. Ethel did that and gasped.

"Oh grandma, where did you get this?" Ethel asked as she realised it had been signed by the author Beatrice Pumpkinhead.

"She was touring around where I live, I knew it was your favourite so I went there especially for you and got you a signed copy." her grandma said with a smile, happy to have treated her granddaughter.

"Oh thank you so much Grandma." Ethel said hugging her beaming with joy at what her grandma had gotten her.

"Anything for you Ethel dear, you deserve it." her grandma said hugging and kissing her granddaughter. Her grandma had wanted to get her something special as she knew everything was given to her sisters.

"I love you grandma." Ethel said sweetly.

"I love you too darling, I wish I could see you more often you are growing up so fast." her grandma said wishing she had the opportunity to see her more.

"But I am a bad person." Ethel replied with a sigh. Grandma Josephine took her face in her hands forcing her to look at her.

"You are not a bad person. You are so precious and don't you forget it." her grandma said as Ethel hugged her again.

* * *

After they had eaten Esmie was helping her grandma wash up. True it could have been done with magic but grandma Josephine found it calming to do it by hand.

"Great food as always grandma." Esmie said washing a plate.

"Well I need to make sure my girls are well fed." she replied simply. For a few moments the only sounds were water splashing as Esmie thought about what she wanted to say.

"Grandma...why did you go to Australia?" Esmie asked curious about her reason.

"Well everything here reminded me of your granddad it was too painful I needed a fresh start." her grandma replied her face looking sad as she thought about her reason.

Esmie paused again. She knew her grandma and her mother had had a lot of problems over the years, she wondered if it had anything to do with the different treatments her and her sisters receive but she did not want to ask her grandma outright if she saw the way her sister was treated.

"Do you still not speak to mum very much?" Esmie asked deciding it was a safe question.

"No." her grandma said as she dried a plate "Your mother and I have had a lot of disagreements." Grandma Josephine replied answering the question.

"About Ethel right?" Esmie asked quietly. Her grandma paused shocked at the question. She knew this day was going to come where the eldest girl would realise the treatment her little sister received was different but it was still hard to hear her ask.

Grandma Josephine looked over at the youngest two who were watching a film happily. She then proceeded to answer quietly, not wanting the others to hear her.

"Yes." her grandma said deciding not to lie. "I did not agree with the way she was parenting you, I saw it from early on that she was pushing Ethel away." Grandma Josephine said the details of it.

"Why does she do it though?" Esmie asked wanting to know the answer to the question she had always wondered.

"I would tell you but I honestly do not know...all I know is she was alright with her the first year of her life then she suddenly grew cold towards her one day. I have no idea what happened she would never tell me what changed." the older woman replied wishing she knew a bit more about why her daughter did that to the poor girl.

"I don't know what to do grandma...it is starting to make Ethel really sad." Esmie said sadly knowing now that it hurt Ethel a lot more that she ever thought.

"The only thing you can do is show you love and care for her, she needs to know someone cares about her. Sadly I don't think your mother or father will change their treatment towards her now." Grandma Josephine sighed at the thought.

"Thanks Grandma, I will look after her." Esmie said with a slight smile she would always care and love her sister.

"I know you will, you have always being so close to Ethel more than Sybil. Don't stop loving her as you get older, she needs you to be on her side." her grandma said wanting to make sure she would always be there.

"I won't, I promise." Esmie said with a slight smile.

The two of them finish the cleaning quietly not saying anything more and then go join the younger two who were still watching a film.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The six weeks of their holiday seemed to fly by and before the sisters knew it they were heading back to Cackle's. The three of them left fairly early not wanting to be late and flew off towards the castle. Sybil was actually excited about everything despite the fact she was going to be away from her parents for the first time in her life.

Half an hour later they landed in the courtyard and put their broomsticks in the broomshed. As Ethel turned around she saw Drusilla landing a short distance away.

"I will see you both later, Drusilla is here." Ethel said ready to greet her friend.

"Alright, I will go settle Sybil in." Esmeralda replied walking off with the younger girl as Ethel went to see her friend.

"Hello Drusilla" Ethel said cheerfully with a smile.

"Oh Hello Ethel, good summer?" Drusilla asked with a smile on her face.

"It was alright." Ethel said with a shrug "How about yours?" Ethel asked interested.

"Oh it was great!" Drusilla said with a smile. Ethel looked around and realised barely any students were here yet.

"Well I am glad someone had a good summer." Ethel replied cheerily

"Yours was that bad was it? Didn't you go on holiday?" Drusilla asked worried for Ethel that hers was really so bad.

"Yes but six weeks of being ignored by my parents is not fun." Ethel said honestly. Drusilla's smile dropped at that statement and she looked down not sure what to say.

* * *

A while later other students soon started arriving including Mildred Hubble and her second year friends. Like the other students it did not take the three friends long to realise who the new head girl was.

"Imagine being headgirl." Mildred said dreamily as she looked at the badge on Esmeralda's uniform.

"I know right, you can cause as much mayhem as you want then blame it on someone else." Enid replied with a smirk.

"ENID!" Maud shouted shaking her head.

"I think if I became headgirl my mum would die of shock with my record." Mildred said staring at the shiny new badge.

"Rather you than Ethel." Maud replied quickly.

Just then Sybil walked up to her sister crying. The youngest girl had now realised she was not going home for months and she was staying at the school. Esmie put her arm around her trying to calm her down.

"Aww she is really cute, must be a first year I wonder if Esmeralda knows her." Mildred commented on seeing the young girl.

"I would say yes, I don't think it is in the job description to go around hugging random pupils you have never seen before in your life." Enid commented seeing them hugging.

* * *

Ethel saw the three students looking at her sister from a distance and smirked as she walked up to them ready to start annoying them again.

"Ahh Mildred I have to say I am surprised you made it to second year." Ethel started folding her arms and looking at the dark haired girl. Drusilla copied her.

"Hello to you too Ethel." Maud said with a sigh.

"Don't think of yourself as this amazing person because of last year Mildred, you are still a walking disaster." Ethel said insulting her.

"Aww what is the matter Ethel? Jealous that Esmeralda is headgirl and not you?" Maud threw back an insult.

Ethel felt a tinge of sadness at that comment but she hid it well.

"Actually Maud I am very happy for my sister." Ethel replied truthfully. She was happy for her after all even if she was sad as well.

"Oh so you have decided to start being nice to her considering you almost got her killed?" Enid threw back wanting to hurt Ethel.

It is lucky at that moment Esmeralda decided to walk over with Sybil because Ethel was seriously considering punching Enid.

"Hello everyone, did you all have a good summer?" Esmeralda asked politely to all the girls.

"Hi Esmeralda, yes I went to Dublin with my mum it was great." Mildred said sharing what they did.

"I spent it at my Granny's farm." Maud said happily sharing her summer.

"I had a great summer, I only set three things on fire." Enid said proudly.

"Glad to hear it." Esmeralda said with a smile. "Oh this is Sybil our little sister it is her first day today." Esmie said introducing the youngest to the others.

"Oh we were trying to work out if she was related to you." Mildred admitted "Hi Sybil, I am Mildred and this is Maud and that is Enid." Mildred said kindly introducing everyone.

"Oh Ethie I need to go show the other first years their rooms, will you watch Sybil please?" Esmeralda asked needing to tend to the other students and not wanting to drag Sybil along when she was so upset.

"If I must." Ethie replied still upset from the earlier conversation.

"Thank you Ethie, well see you all around I have to go" Esmie replied as she walked off to tend to the others. As soon as she was gone Sybil started to cry again.

"Oh Sybil, are you homesick? I was really homesick when I first came here too it is really strange being away from home, but don't worry you will settle in soon." Mildred said kindly trying to reassure the younger girl.

Ethel was angry and hurt from the prior conversion which caused her to overreact.

"How dare you! Don't ever talk to her, after everything you have done to me you do not get to talk to my sister." Ethel said angrily and then paused before turning to Sybil. "Come on Sybil I will show you your room." Ethie said as she put her arm around her little sister and led her inside.

"Everything we have done? What about what you have done to us?" Maud shouted after the girls.

* * *

Drusilla followed behind the youngest two sisters and watched as they stopped in the corridor.

"Sybil, stay away from Mildred Hubble and her good for nothing friends." Ethel told her sternly not wanting them to interact.

"Why?" Sybil asked confused still weeping.

"Mildred Hubble made my first year at Cackle's horrible, she turned me into a pig, she sabotaged my potion at the entrance exam and nearly caused me not to get into Cackle's...honestly Sybil that girl is trouble." Ethel told her retelling everything Mildred did to her last year.

"She really did all that?" Sybil asked shocked that she had done that to her sister.

"Yes, she has taken all the opportunities I have ever wanted away from me and she will do the same to you if you let her, be careful around her Sybil." Ethel said warning her.

Sybil nodded shocked and then followed her sister up to her new bedroom. Ready to officially start her first year at Cackles.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The first week back at school was never fun. Everyone was still giddy from their holidays and found it hard to settle back into the Cackle's schooling life.

Esmeralda's new role was difficult of course. She had to deal with troublesome pupils and sort out silly disagreements. Some pupils were of course teenagers and did not like being told what to do but if you asked Esmeralda she would still say the pupils who were giving her the most grief were her own two sisters.

* * *

First of Sybil was really struggling to settle. The girl spent the majority of her time crying as she was homesick and still not used to the boarding school life. Esmeralda did not mind so much having to comfort her sister during the day it was the night-time that was worse.

The first night back at school Esmeralda had been sound asleep in her bed happily when she felt someone prodding her.

"Esmie wake up." Sybil whispered shaking her.

"Mmm no Ethie I don't want gravy." Esmie said in her sleep in response.

"ESMIE!" Sybil said a bit louder as she shook her more.

Esmeralda shot awake and looked around worried as to what the problem was. She looked around expecting to see something really bad when she noticed Sybil.

"Sybil...what's the matter?" Esmie asked sleepily.

"I had a nightmare." Sybil said scared.

Esmeralda turned to look at her clock on her bedside table and saw it was 3AM and moaned.

"Sybil it is okay it was just a nightmare you need to go back to sleep." Esmeralda replied to tired to deal with this.

"Can I come in with you?" Sybil asked not wanting to be alone.

"No you are not allowed." Esmie replied knowing if anyone caught Sybil in her room in the middle of the night they would get in heaps of trouble.

Esmie sat up and put her slippers on before taking her sister's hand to walk her back to her bedroom.

"Come on, you best get back to bed before HB finds us." Esmie said leading her sister down the dark corridors and back to her own room.

"Right stay here, you will get in trouble if you are out of bed at night, just try to sleep." Esmie said as she kissed her sister on the forehead and waited with her for a while until the younger girl fell back asleep.

Esmeralda snook out her bedroom and closed the door before climbing the first flight of stairs to get to her own corridor. As she was passing the second year corridor she decided to check on Ethel to make sure she was not awake as well. She opened her sister's door and heard the slow breathing and saw Ethel sound asleep. She smiled before going back to her bedroom where she fell back asleep straight away.

* * *

This turned out to be a regular occurrence. The same thing happened the next night and the night after that. By the forth night Esmie was exhausted and annoyed.

"Sybil not again." Esmie moaned as she rubbed her eyes.

"I don't like it here, the castle makes strange noises." Sybil complained.

"Sybil you have to stop waking me every night, I need to sleep." Esmie moaned seriously fed up of this routine.

"But I get scared." Sybil said in response.

Esmeralda sighed and led her sister down the corridor only this time the sisters would not be so lucky. Just as they were walking down Sybil's corridor HB appeared in front of them.

"So having a nice stroll are we?" HB asked looking at the two girls.

"Sybil had a nightmare, I was just taking her back to bed." Esmie replied honestly.

"I very much doubt it, where is Ethel? I assume you decided to have a midnight feast or something?" HB said as she knew exactly what pupils at the school was like.

"She's asleep, I really did have a nightmare and I went to see Esmie as I was scared." Sybil replied honestly.

"Mmm." HB replied not sure what to believe "Go back to your own rooms before I give you detention for a week." HB replied seriously. Esmie turned away and walked in the direction of her room as Sybil went in her own bedroom.

* * *

Not only was Sybil annoying Esmie every night but Ethel and Sybil constantly seemed to be fighting. The two girls were really close in age and had always being prone to silly fights but it was getting ridiculous. The two girls could not be in the same place without ending up attacking each other.

"Will you stop crying." Ethel said annoyed.

"You can't tell me what to do you are not my mum." Sybil replied through her sobs.

"I am glad I am not your mum you are annoying." Ethel replied with a mean tone.

"You are annoying." Sybil replied throwing it back.

The two girls started to hit each other. Not hard but it was still something Esmie had to intervene in.

"Oi stop stop." Esmie said taking a hold of Sybil's hands and then Ethel's to stop them hitting each other.

"She started it." Ethel replied tattling on her sister.

"No she did." Sybil replied annoyed.

"I do not care who started it, I am finishing it." Esmeralda replied annoyed.

* * *

And the worst part was Esmie and Ethie had gotten into an argument only five days after they returned to school. Esmie was already exhausted and stressed out but that stress was about to raise.

It was day five of being back at school and Sybil was still crying all the time. That morning Esmie was hugging her trying to comfort her when Mildred and her friends walked down the corridor.

"Good morning Esmeralda, Good morning Sybil." Mildred said in a friendly tone.

Sybil at this point had stopped crying but at Mildred talking to her she burst into tears again. Mildred looked at her friends awkwardly.

"Or bad morning." Mildred said to the younger girl questioningly.

"Sorry Esmeralda." Maud said as she knew she would have to calm the girl down again.

"Don't worry about it." Esmie said as the friends walked away. Esmeralda then asked Sybil why she only got upset again when Mildred spoke to her.

"She might turn me into a pig, or get me thrown out." Sybil said through her crying. As soon as Esmie heard this she knew what had happened. She reassured her sister that Mildred was not an evil bully and then after she had calmed down Esmie walked away.

* * *

Esmeralda walked towards Ethel's room. She was going to tell Ethel not to tell Sybil bad things about Mildred. Esmie had realised before that she would pick on people a lot more when she was hurting and after reading her diary she knew Ethel was acting happy but she was about to see the mask slip for the first time in a while.

She knocked on Ethel's door and walked in when she was given permission.

"Ethie, please don't tell Sybil things about Mildred." Esmie said not shouting at her sister as she knew Ethie really did believe Mildred was cruel.

"I am trying to help her, Sybil will get expelled within a month if she associates with Mildred Hubble." Ethel replied stating it like a fact.

"Ethie I know you and Mildred do not get along but Mildred does not cause you grief on purpose." Esmie replied wishing she would stop with this.

"Oh of course you are on her side." Ethel replied with slight anger in her tone.

"I didn't say that I am just saying Mildred..." Esmie started to reply but was interrupted.

"OH YES I KNOW, MILDRED IS SWEET, MILDRED IS PERFECT, MILDRED IS FUNNY AND MILDRED ALWAYS SAVES THE DAY, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS SCHOOL IS DOWN TO ME NEVER ANYONE ELSE." Ethel shouted taking Esmie off guard at how angry she had gotten.

"I did not say that either, Mildred of course has flaws but Sybil is scared enough here as it is without you telling her things about Mildred." Esmeralda replied remaining calm now that she knew what her sister was going through.

"Oh don't you have some important headgirl duties to do or something? I know you can ask Mildred to be your assistant headgirl and you can save the school together." Ethel said still incredibly angry.

"Ethie..." Esmie started to reply before being cut off.

"Oh just go away Esmeralda." Ethie replied snapping at her.

"But..." Esmie said trying to help her sister.

"Oh just get out." Ethel said as she raised her hand. Suddenly Esmie was flying out of the bedroom door backwards and the door slammed shut and locked behind her.

"When did she learn to do that?" Esmie said to herself but then she grew worried as she suspected Ethel's problems were getting worse. She needed to keep a closer eye on her even if Ethie is pushing her away more and more.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Esmeralda was standing in the corridor at breaktime the next day on her head girl duties. She had finally got a whole night's sleep without Sybil bothering her so she was refreshed and a lot calmer but she was still worried about her fight with Ethel.

"Esmie." Ethel said quietly sending Esmie out of her thoughts. Esmie looked at her sister with her arms folded keeping an eye out for misbehaving pupils as she did so.

"I just wanted to say...sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't of shouted at you." Ethel said looking at her feet as she said it.

Esmeralda knew her sister must have felt bad as she never apologised for anything. Esmie smiled at her warmly.

"That is okay, next time please don't bite my head off as I am only helping okay?" Esmie replied happily that her sister had come to her.

"I won't sorry." Ethel said simply. Esmie hugged her little sister lovingly glad that she was her friend again.

"Oh by the way, someone spilled a potion down the next corridor." Ethie said helping her sister with her duties.

"Oh thanks Ethie, I will sort it, see you soon." Esmie said as she walked off to clean up the potion. She had no idea at the time that this peaceful make up was about to turn sour.

* * *

Ethel unbeknown to anyone still had the book she had taken out of the library. Everyday after lessons Ethel had sat in her room and studied the transfer spell until she knew every word by heart. Though it was much different to actually practise the spell.

That day after she had made up with Esmeralda she felt happy and confident in herself. She knew exactly what she had to do to use the transfer spell and she was ready to put it into practise.

She walked to her bedroom door making sure it was shut tight and she listened to make sure that there was no-one about to walk in. Once she was satisfied she walked to the middle of her room and tried to clear her mind to concentrate. Once she felt ready she started to say the spell under her breathe, eventually like most witches she would be able to transfer without saying the spell but as a beginner she had too.

She felt her feet leave the floor and she smiled to herself imagining the look on everyone's face when she appeared in the corridor out of nowhere. She could imagine her sisters being surprised but congratulating her and she could imagine her parents amazement and then realisation that their middle child was worth something.

* * *

Ethie landed hard hitting her face on a tree branch. She moaned as she touched her sore head and realised she had somehow landed right on top of a tree. She looked down still touching her head to see where she was but could not really make anything out. There were trees all around her and it looked like she was in some sort of woodland area.

Leaning over to far Ethel lost her grip on the tree and started to fall, as she fell her arms scrapped against the tree, scrapping her skin and making them feel like they were burning, she looked down and realised a man was walking right underneath and she screamed causing the man to look up in shock just as she fell right on top of him.

Ethel fell on top of her right arm and lay there for a few minutes before she came to her senses and sat up realising her arm was hurting very badly.

"Ahh" she said trying to move her arm but realising it was agony everytime she did so.

The man she had landed on stood up too. He had blood coming from his nose and mouth as he had bit his tongue as he fell.

"Are you alright love?" the man asked concerned about the child's condition.

"My arm really hurts." Ethel moaned clutching her arm with her other hand.

The man bent down seeming to guess what her injury was already.

"It looks broken...I have three sons I know these things." he said in response. He then pulled out his mobile phone to ring an ambulance.

Once he was satisfied that the ambulance was on it's way he started to speak to Ethel again.

"Do you want me to call your mum and dad?" he asked her kindly offering her some help.

"No...they won't care and they don't like being disturbed at work." Ethel replied closing her eyes with the pain.

The man decided it was best right now that he left it. The ambulance was on it's way and the most important thing right now was that the young girl had medical care.

The ambulance arrived soon after and both of them were taken away separately to be checked over. Ethel could not believe she had landed herself in hospital.

* * *

Esmeralda had just finished an essay and wanted to chill out for a little bit so she decided to go find her sisters. Passing Ethel's room first she went and knocked on the door.

"Ethie." Esmie said happily ready to relax with her sisters. When this got no answer Esmie rolled her eyes and knocked again knowing her sister was not good at answering straight away.

"Ethie." Esmie said a bit louder so she could hear her.

When this still got no response she figured her sister was elsewhere as it was still early so she could be with Drusilla or studying. Esmeralda walked away from the door and instead walked to the library not seeing any sign of her sister.

With a sigh Esmeralda left the library seeing Drusilla walking past alone.

"Oh Drusilla where is Ethie I need to see her?" Esmie said stopping the younger girl to ask her sisters whereabouts.

"Oh I don't know." Drusilla replied confused why she was being asked.

"When did you last see her?" Esmie asked desperately wanting to find her sister.

"Last period, she said she was going to her room, if I see her I will tell her you are looking for her." Drusilla replied happy to pass on the message for her If she found Ethel first.

"Thanks Drusilla." Esmie replied confused. She then went to find Sybil but she had not seen her either.

She walked back to her sister's corridor figuring her sister probably had not heard her, after knocking a few times she opened her sister's door and saw the room was empty and only Nightstar was in there eating her food.

Esmie walked over to the cat and stroked her head realising her water bowl was completely empty. This confused Esmie, Ethie never let her cat go thirsty.

Esmie filled up the bowl and then noticed a large opened book on her sister's bed. She picked it up her eyebrows narrowed with confusion.

"The transfer spell? What is she looking at that for Nightstar?" Esmie asked as she looked at the cat before it clicked.

Ethel had not been seen since lessons finished and it was like she had disappeared. Maybe she literally had disappeared.

Esmeralda took the book and ran out the room flying down flights of stairs before rushing into Miss Cackle's office.

"Miss Hallow, how dare you come in here without knocking!" HB said as she was sat across from Ada the two woman obviously having been talking.

"Ethie is missing." Esmie panted from all the running she had done.

"It is a big school dear she will be around." Ada replied not worried. She knew what Esmeralda was like she was always worrying about her sisters.

"The thing is Miss Cackle no one has seen her since today's lessons and I found this in her room." Esmie said giving the book over to her headmistress.

Ada and Hecate looked at each other as they realised what spell Ethel had been reading up on. Both their eyes widened at what they saw she had done.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Ethel was taken to hospital and her arm was x-rayed. She had bruises but the only injury she cared about was her throbbing arm. Ethel was told to wait in a room as the doctors looked at the x-ray. She did just that closing her eyes and trying to forget about the pain.

After a while a smiling nurse walked in. She was tall and blonde with shoulder length hair and kind eyes.

"Hello there my name is Annie, I am afraid your arm is broken." the nurse said in a caring sympathetic tone. Ethel had suspected that and was relieved it was going to be fixed.

"I am going to apply a cast to your arm, now what is your favourite colour?" the nurse asked her wanting to make it better for her by having the cast in her favourite colour.

"Purple" Ethel replied sharing her favourite.

"What a great colour, a purple cast it is." the nurse said as she set to work applying the cast.

"So what have you been up to to end up here?" the nurse asked making conversation, trying to find out the cause of the injury.

"I fell out of a tree." Ethel replied embarrassed. Annie laughed a little shaking her head.

"You remind me of my own children, I have three boys and a girl and I think I see them lot as patients more than I do anyone else." Annie replied as she worked on the cast, sharing something personal with Ethel.

The fact that the woman was actually a mother caught Ethel's attention.

"In fact my daughter is about your age, she's always finding herself in trouble too." Annie said but not in a mean way she was teasing the girl. Annie finished applying the cast and smiled at her patient.

"There you go all done Honey, now do you want me to call your parents?" Annie asked knowing she needed an adult with her.

Ethel looked away from the woman before replying.

"No...don't bother they wouldn't leave work unless it was for their precious Esmie or Sybil." Ethel replied angrily.

"Oh sweetie I am sure your mum and dad would be worried." the nurse replied sweetly.

"Trust me...they won't be." Ethel said looking at the floor as she felt her eyes welling up.

Ethel felt the nurse touch her shoulder and looked up at her.

"As a mother I tell you they probably worry much more than you think." Annie told her, being a mum herself she knew her parents would care.

Ethel shrugged in response to that.

"How could they not worry about you? You are beautiful and full of life I am sure they are worried sick right now." Annie started trying to cheer up Ethel.

The fact that Annie was being so nice to her. The fact she was acting all motherly was too much for Ethel she could not stand it and she found herself bursting into tears.

"Oh sweetie." the nurse said not liking to see a child crying. She put her arm round her lovingly and Ethel leaned into her chest sobbing more as the woman gave her what her mother never did. Love.

"It's alright don't cry." Annie said rubbing her arms.

Ethel could smell the woman's perfume and for the first time in her life she experienced what it was like to be loved by a mother and she did not want it to end.

* * *

Back at Cackle's Ada and Hecate realised how serious the situation was.

"She could be anywhere! What do we do Miss?" Esmie asked clearly in a big panic about Ethel.

"Hopefully she did not end up to far, before we panic we best check the surrounding areas." Ada replied wanting to be rational and that she could just be in their grounds.

"I will get Sybil and some others to help." Esmie said running out the room.

Esmeralda gathered up her sister, her sister's friends and some of her own friends to look for Ethel. Drusilla and some of the other second years helped as well. Before long the whole school was looking for her.

"Ethel it's cold stop hiding." Enid complained as she shivered. They were currently looking in the local woods.

"Not helping Enid." Maud replied rolling her eyes.

The students and teachers searched for the young girl for hours but could find no trace of the young girl anywhere, with every minute that passed everyone could feel themselves growing more worried.

* * *

Once Ethel had calmed down a little the nurse let her sit for a while in silence before she broke the silence.

"Cackle's Academy?" Annie questioned as she saw the logo on Ethel's school uniform. "Is that local I have never heard of it." Annie said questioningly having no recollection of that school.

"It is a boarding school." Ethel replied knowing she had to keep quiet about what was taught there.

Annie nodded realising why she had not heard of the school before. She smiled at the girl.

"Well if you won't let me ring your parents at least let me ring your school, I am sure your teachers are in a panic." Annie commented needing to get an adult to get the girl.

"Okay...thank you." Ethel said accepting that she could call the school.

Despite it being a witch school the school did have a website as more and more witches were moving to the internet, the school was not stupid it did not disclose it was a witching school just a boarding school and it only gave a contact number, though no-one who was a non-witch could find the school easily but they still had to be careful. Annie found the number and rang it.

* * *

The teachers and students were heading inside and Ada was talking to her deputy discussing what their next plan of action was just as the phone rang and Ada ran to answer it.

"Hello you have reached Cackle's Academy how may I help you?" Ada said panting a little from running.

"Oh really?...She is…fantastic thank you." Ada said as she hung up the phone getting some relief.

"Ethel is in a local hospital, she is okay but she broke her arm." Ada said sharing what she had just been told.

"Great let's go find Esmeralda before she decides to report her missing." Hecate replied as they went to find the students to tell them the good news.

* * *

Nurse Annie was just putting Ethel's broken arm in a sling when there was a shout in the hospital.

"Ethie." Esmie shouted as she ran in and hugged her sister awkwardly because the sling got in the way.

"I am okay really Esmie." Ethel said not getting her fuss.

"Don't do that you scared me." Esmie replied telling her off.

"Sorry I didn't mean too." Ethel said looking down as Sybil walked in and hugged her too.

"She is alright isn't she?" Esmie asked nurse Annie wanting to make sure she was okay.

"She just has some bruises and a broken arm it will heal in six weeks she needs to keep the sling on to stop her arm moving to much are you related to her?" Annie asked wanting to know who she was disclosing information with.

"I am her sister we both are." Esmie replied pointing to Sybil.

"Great then make sure she looks after her arm so it heals." Annie said with a smile.

Ada walked in and smiled at her three pupils.

"Thank you for looking after her I am her headteacher now tell me what I can do to make sure her arm heals properly." Ada said as the two woman started to talk.

The women spoke for a while and finally Ethel was discharged. As she was leaving the hospital she looked back sadly knowing that was the last time someone was going to act like a mother to her. She almost wished she could stay in the hospital just to be near her.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Returning to Cackle's Ethel was taken to Ada's office. Ethel had not said anything since they had left the hospital but the girl still needed to know her punishment.

"Ethel where do I start." Ada said shaking her head with a sigh. Ethel stared at the ground sadly as she knew she was in a lot of trouble.

"You are from one of the most famous witching families in the world you should know how stupid it is to try the transfer spell at your age." Ada went on with her speech.

"Yes and the whole school was looking for you, you are incredibly lucky only to have come out with only a broken arm." Hecate cut in standing next to the older woman.

"Sorry." Ethel said quietly still looking at the floor.

"Sorry does not cut it Ethel, you put everyone in danger you could have ended up anywhere and what if someone had seen and copied you? You are not a first year anymore you are meant to be setting an example." Hecate replied being harsh on the girl.

"I just wanted my parents to notice me for a change." Ethel admitted to the two women.

"Oh for goodness sake! This jealously has to stop Ethel, there are other ways to be noticed by people than causing some sort of trouble!" Ada replied raising her voice a little.

"Oh like what?" Ethel said suddenly lifting her head up and shouting taking the two woman by surprise as she did it so suddenly. "Go on Miss Cackle tell me what do I do for my mum and dad to give me attention because frankly I am out of ideas." Ethel shouted angrily.

"Maybe try behaving, achieving an award." Ada suggested something simple she could do. Ethel looked at the woman and started to laugh.

"What is so funny?" Hecate asked confused.

"You two are completely clueless aren't you? It doesn't matter if I get some stupid award I am still the middle child." Ethel replied honestly, her anger still coming through with her words.

"I know that but all you can do is make the most of it." Ada replied simply not seeing the big deal Ethel was making over this.

Ethel shook her head feeling her anger rise even more, Ada might have a sister too but she was really clueless.

"What would you know about it? You were raised as the oldest you were the one who was given everything." Ethel replied angrily not caring who it was she was speaking too, just so angry she had to get it out.

"We are not talking about me." Ada started to say before being interrupted.

"Why not? Actually ADA let's talk about you, if it wasn't for the code Agatha would not have had to be jealous of your achievements or the attention you received. Agatha would not have had to act up to get even one ounce of attention from your mother, if it wasn't for the stupid code or the fact you were raised as the oldest Agatha would not have turned bad." Ethel shouted angrily.

"That is where you are wrong Ethel, Agatha had all the support she needed she just chose not to accept it." Ada replied correcting her, If the girl wanted to get into it let her.

"But the support came too late, Agatha knew right from the start you were the favourite and she learned the way I did, if you behave no-one even spares you a second glance, you are invisible, maybe it is wrong but the more ill behaved you are the more attention you get, the code let Agatha down." Ethel replied expressing her feelings and how upset everything makes her.

"ENOUGH!" Ada shouted stopping her. Talking about Agatha was always a really touchy subject to her.

Ethel smiled as she knew she had gotten to Ada. She knew that it stung her talking about her sister.

"Wipe that smile of your face!" Hecate yelled angrily at the child.

"Sorry I can't help it, it seems you have finally realised siblings are never treated right, in fact Sybil should be treated badly too but she was lucky, because she nearly died mum and dad bonded with her." Ethel replied telling the two women the truth.

Ada took a deep breath with her eyes closed trying to calm herself down before she replied.

"I know you are upset Ethel and you can say what you like, yes okay maybe the code had some role to play but I did not write the code Ethel you can't blame people who have nothing to do with the rules." Ada replied informing her.

Ethel shrugged at that comment she knew she was being harsh it was not Ada's fault she was unloved by her parents but she felt a bitterness towards all older siblings at the moment.

"Anyway we managed to stray off topic." Ada replied clearing her throat "Your punishment will be to write an essay about the dangers of the transfer spell to you and people around you and you will receive two detentions with Miss Hardbroom." Ada told her dealing her punishment out.

Ethel nodded. She got off pretty lightly considering what had happened.

"You may go." Hecate told her as she had her arms folded.

Ethel stood up with a smirk and left the office feeling better now she had gotten her feelings off her chest. Feeling better someone else felt hurt.

* * *

"Did you get in heaps of trouble?" Esmeralda asked leaning against a wall as she had been waiting for her sister.

Ethel looked up and saw her sister just standing there.

"I have to write an essay and got two detentions that is all." Ethel replied not thinking her punishments were a big deal.

Esmie smiled and then went to hug her sister holding her tightly.

"What are you doing?" Ethel asked thinking it was a bit random to be hugging her at a time when she had just gotten into trouble.

"Hugging my little sister, I was really worried and I am glad you are safe." Esmeralda replied warmly. Ethel let her hug her enjoying the hug secretly.

As Esmeralda was two years older Ethel only came to about her chest height, Ethel smiled and leaned her head into her sister's chest enjoying the feeling of being hugged but that was until she smelled her sister's perfume and she pulled away like she had been burned.

"What is wrong?" Esmie asked confused by her sister's actions.

"Sorry I am just really tired." Ethel replied making an excuse to why she broke it off. "See you later." Ethel replied as she ran up the stairs leaving her sister stood there confused.

* * *

Ethel walked fast down the corridor towards her bedroom knocking into Mildred, Maud and Enid in the process as she was not paying attention.

"Watch it!" Mildred said but Ethel did not turn around she carried on walking until she reached her bedroom.

She closed her door and sat on her bedroom floor. It had come back to her the nurse in the hospital hugging her, the feeling she had gotten at being hugged by a mother. Ethel wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes trying to imagine it was her own mother hugging her. Imagining what it would be like to receive a mothers love on a regular basis.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Ever since Ethel's accident the young girl seemed to have changed. No longer did she go around showing off or insulting people, in fact the girl hardly spoke at all she had turned quiet and people were starting to notice.

"Did you know it has been four days, twenty hours, two hundred and twenty minutes and forty one no make that forty two seconds since Ethel last insulted you?" Maud said in her potions lessons with her friends.

"I would be careful Mil who knows what she is planning." Enid replied worried this just meant Ethel had something really big planned.

Mildred looked over at her rival, Ethel was putting things slowly into her cauldron she was sharing with Drusilla, neither girl was talking and Ethel seemed to be struggling somewhat as she had to do everything with her left hand. Despite the fact her arm was broken HB had not made it any easier for the young girl.

"I am not sure she is planning anything to be honest." Mildred replied as she looked back at the potion they were making.

"This is Ethel we are talking about of course she is planning something, be careful Mil I don't like the fact she has changed, it means her attack might be worse." Maud told her friend adjusting her glasses.

"I will be careful don't worry, does this potion not need more palmsweed?" Mildred asked as she was sure it required more.

"Yes but it needs to be added last, we don't have any left go get some will you?" Maud replied noticing they hadn't any left.

* * *

Mildred nodded and walked to the front of the classroom where extra ingredients were laid out on a table. As she got closer she realised Ethel was there as well. Mildred walked over keeping her head down awkwardly looking for the jar of palmsweed and realising Ethel had it, Mildred carried on looking around trying to look like she was busy but waited for Ethel to finish.

The thing was Ethel was struggling. She had the jar tucked near her elbow where her sling was she tried to remove the lid with her left hand but she really did not seem to be getting very far.

"Here let me help you." Mildred said knowing she would not be able to do it.

"I am fine I can manage." Ethel replied stubbornly but she was much less aggressive in her tone than she normally was when speaking to Mildred.

"Come on we don't have much time to finish this potion as it is and no offence but you are not getting very far." Mildred replied expressing her observation of how long it was going to take.

Ethel sighed and handed the jar to Mildred. Mildred opened it and took a handful of the leaves out leaving some for Ethel. Ethel took the remaining ingredients and walked away quickly as if she was embarrassed.

Nothing more was said between anyone during the lesson and ten minutes later class ended and their homework was handed out. It was now lunchtime and girls ran to the door wanting some food all except Ethel who walked slowly as if she was dreading a double potions lesson and trying to get there as late as possible.

* * *

The thing was Ethel was miserable. Of course the fact her parents did not care about her had always affected her mentally but she never let it overtake her life. At school she was distracted enough to not always be thinking about the fact she is treated differently but since hugging the nurse at the hospital it was all she could think about.

Thoughts ran through her mind constantly. Why was she not good enough? Was there anything she could do for her own mother to hug her the way that nurse had? Ethel could think of nothing else and she knew she was being quiet and people were suspicious but she couldn't help it. Ethel had finally realised how much it hurt not having a loving mother.

Ethel carried her bowl of soup to an empty table not feeling like sitting with anyone or she would have to talk to them. She played with the soup letting it fall of the spoon slowly but not actually eating it. She had been off her food too.

"Can I join you?" the familiar voice of her sister Esmie said before her. Ethel shrugged not bothered either way. Esmeralda sat down and for a few moments there only sounds was Ethel's spoon scrapping against her bowl.

"Not hungry?" Esmeralda asked seeing her sister was not actually eating the food.

Ethel did not reply as she was lost in her own dark thoughts. Esmeralda wanted her to talk to her so asked something else.

"Why did you not come to see mum last night, you never showed up at the mirror room?" Esmeralda asked concerned.

Ethel blinked and looked further down not wanting her sister to see her eyes which were full of hurt. She could not tell her the truth, that she could not face her mother, that if she had to talk to her mother she was worried of bursting into tears.

"I am sure she did not even notice." Ethel replied as she looked at the table.

"That is not a reason." Esmeralda replied simply.

Ethel shrugged not wanting to talk anymore.

Esmeralda was extremely worried. She had seen Ethel when she was upset or hurting before but never to this extent. She could not even look at her. It was like all the life inside of her had gone and she was just a shell.

"How is your arm is it hurting?" Esmeralda asked her hoping that was the source of Ethel being miserable that she was in physical pain as that could be fixed. She also knew she was embarrassed about the whole thing but somehow Esmie knew this was not the real problem.

"It only hurts a little." Ethel replied as her arm hurt if she moved around to much.

Esmeralda sighed knowing this conversation was not going anywhere.

* * *

The teachers had noticed the change in the normally loud, enthusiastic student as well. She had stopped attending her extra curricular activities and her grades were slipping as if she was not even trying anymore.

"What do we do about Ethel?" Miss Drill asked at the next parents evening worried about her pupil's well-being.

"She still not talking?" Ada asked worried. She in a way felt guilty because when Ethel had been ranting Ada had not really been listening and maybe that was her cry for help.

"No, as much as I do enjoy the peace and quiet from Ethel and Mildred's silly fighting I must say it is quite unlike the girl." Hecate replied concerned for her pupil.

"Have you tried to get Esmeralda to talk to her?" Ada asked knowing she was more likely to open up to someone she was really comfortable with.

"Yes, I have seen the girl try a few times, her sister is barely saying two words to her either." Miss Bat replied also worried about the second year pupil.

"Mmm well I don't think there is much we can do as of now but hope she starts talking soon, if not I will have to ring her parents with our concerns." Ada replied knowing if a child was suffering their parents needed to know.

"Ada...I have a feeling that would make it worse, We all know Ethel and her parents have a bad relationship, if she will not speak to her sisters there is no way she would speak to them." Mr Rowan-Webb logically replied.

"Maybe one of us could try." Miss Drill suggested as she knew the young girl trusted her teachers more than her own parents.

"I think that would be wise." Hecate replied in agreement.

"Alright but just leave it a bit longer, it might not be anything to be concerned with. Ethel is probably embarrassed about what happened with the transfer spell and thinks people are going to talk to her about it, just leave her for about another week or so we don't want to push her away more." Ada replied hoping she did not sound as worried as she felt.

No teacher said it but all of them were worried the girl was slipping to far into a depressive state.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Ada had been wrong. Ethel did not start acting normal again, in fact she seemed to get worse and did not seem like she could be bothered with anything anymore.

Weekends at Cackle's were much more laid back than during the week. The girls had no lessons and were allowed to walk around the castle. The girls were still made to wear their uniforms however, a rule students always asked Esmeralda to change.

At weekends the girls did not have to be up a certain time and breakfast was served later than normal. That Saturday Esmeralda was sat at a table with some friends from her year called Matilda Goldstone, Harriet Coldsbank and Luna Toadsworth. The girls spoke happily and ate their breakfast of porridge as they did so.

"Well this is not going to be a fun weekend, that homework from HB is going to take hours." Matilda complained. She had chestnut coloured hair that was styled in a plait down her back and blue eyes.

"Oh I know, I started it yesterday but only got a little bit done, it is really confusing." Harriet replied. She had extremely curly brown hair and brown eyes. Esmeralda was listening but looked over her friends heads to see if she could see Ethel.

"You are the smart one Esmie can you help us please?" Luna asked wanting her help. She had extremely short black hair and very dark eyes.

"Alright we can work on it later tonight." Esmie replied not minding having to help her friends.

They finished breakfast and Esmie was worried to see Ethel was not there. The thing was despite not having a set time to get up Ethel had always being an early riser even at home. There had been times when Ethel and Esmeralda were the only ones up as it was really early so it was unlike her sister to sleep in. She left it until ten but when she did not see any sign of her sister she decided to go and see her.

* * *

She walked up to her sister's room and knocked. When she got no answer she walked in not caring if Ethel got angry as she was concerned about her.

It turned out Ethel was still in her room. She was lying on her stomach on top of her covers of her bed looking tired as if she had not slept at all. Esmeralda went and sat on her bed next to her.

"Are you okay?" Esmeralda asked concerned at seeing her sister like this.

Ethel moved her head so she was facing Esmie but looked miserable.

"Come on, I know we don't have lessons but you should get up, we can go for a walk it is not raining for a change." Esmeralda suggested wanting to get Ethie out of her room and doing something productive.

"I don't want to do anything." Ethel replied quietly.

"Well we can stay in and talk or something then." Esmeralda suggested.

"I just want to stay here." Ethie replied as she looked at her sister for a minute.

"Ethie come on you are worrying me now." Esmie replied extremely worried for her sister. She had been like this for weeks and did not seem to be getting better.

"Can you please go?" Ethie replied not wanting to talk to anyone right now.

"No I will not go, you need to get up you are getting too isolated." Esmie replied knowing her sister had not been right for weeks.

"I can do your hair." Esmie told her knowing Ethel liked having her hair styled but it was not normally something Esmie did during school-time mainly because she just did not have the time.

"Go do Sybil's." Ethie suggested to her wanting to be alone.

"I can't it is too short and you have such pretty hair." Esmeralda told her little sister only wanting to do hers.

"No, you are the pretty one." Ethel replied changing the subject slightly.

"Don't be daft you are." Esmeralda replied not agreeing with Ethie.

"Mum doesn't think so." Ethel replied knowing her mother was very cold with her.

"Of course she does, has she ever told you otherwise?" Esmie asked rhetorically. She knew that their mother was cold towards Ethel but she knew she had never told Ethel it was because of her looks. They were all as clueless as each other on why she treated her like that.

Ethel in her fragile state was a lot more sensitive than normal and started crying quietly. Esmeralda was shocked at this. Ethel did not like anyone to see her cry and she was famous for bottling everything up instead of letting her feelings out so this was very strange.

"Ethie?" Esmie said now even more concerned for her.

Ethel started crying more as she heard her nickname crying into her uninjured hand.

"Oh Ethie." Esmie said repositioning herself so she could lie next to her and put her arm around her.

"Hey...this isn't like you, what's the matter?" Esmie asked wanting to understand what was causing all the emotional changes in her sister. Ethel did not reply but cried even more.

Esmeralda looked down at her sister really sad herself to see her sister's blue eyes full of so much sadness.

"Why do mum and dad hate me so much?" Ethel asked through her heavy crying.

Esmeralda knew that Ethel felt really bad a lot of the time but Ethel had never voiced how much it hurt her before.

"Hate is a strong word Ethie, they don't hate you." Esmie replied thinking that was the best way to reply.

Ethel shook her head at that not agreeing. She knew they hated her.

"But they do...they will never talk to me or do anything with me. I am a burden to them." Ethel said through her tears feeling kind of stupid for saying all this. These were things she only writes in her journal or thought to herself, she never shared these things with anyone.

"I am sure mum and dad love you in their own way Ethie." Esmie replied trying to make her feel better.

"Don't lie...we both know that is not true, I feel like an outsider with my own parents and I have to pretend it doesn't hurt me when they push me away, but it does." Ethel said whilst crying.

"Do you want me to talk to them about it?" Esmeralda suggested thinking they might listen to her more than Ethel.

Ethel shook her head, she didn't want her to bother she knew it would only make everything worse instead of better.

"What is the point? I don't want them to love me out of pity." Ethel replied sadly, still crying.

"Well we have to do something." Esmeralda told her, extremely sad her little sister was so upset.

"No...I wish I had never been born." Ethel admitted her deepest thought and wish.

"Don't say that!" Esmie said raising her voice a bit. Hurt that her sister would even dare think something like that.

"But I do, I hate my life! My parents hate me, the teachers don't care about me, the whole school wishes I was not here and everything I do fails." Ethel replied honestly sharing all her deep thoughts.

"You are at an awkward age, it will get better." Esmeralda told her remembering what it was like to be at that really awkward age where you were not a child but not a teenager either.

"It won't. I have another forty years of being ignored by mum and dad and I can't deal with it anymore." Ethel replied just wishing she could disappear and be gone from the world away from her family and away from her life.

Esmeralda did not know what to say. What could she say? She could not do a spell that would magically make her parents notice Ethel, she wished she could but she can't. Therefore she let Ethel cry on her silently. After a while Ethel stopped crying but lay there sadly.

* * *

After Ethel's breakdown Esmeralda decided that her sister needed to sleep. She lifted her hand gently casting a spell that would allow Ethel to sleep without dreams or nightmares. Ethel became sleepy and was asleep within a few minutes. Esmeralda put the cover over her and kissed her forehead before she left her room.

She closed her door taking a breath and turning around leaning her back against the door as she started to cry silently. Ethel saying she had wished she was never born hit her hard and seeing someone she loved so much so distraught was enough to make her cry herself.

She left the door and started walking down the corridor crying. She could not help it and she did not really care who saw her either. She walked in the direction of her own bedroom crying with her head down.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Ada was walking down the second year corridor making sure everything in her school was in order. She knew girls could get a bit too excited during the weekends so she was looking for any bad behaviour. The corridor was quiet as most of the girls were in the main part of the castle. Ada was just about to leave to check the next corridor when she saw Esmeralda walking in the opposite direction with tears streaming down her face.

The girl had her head down and walked past her not even noticing she was there. Ada however was extremely worried. She had never seen the girl cry before, she had always just got on with things. She was normally the one doing the comforting not the crying so it hurt Ada to see her so upset. Ada came to her senses and walked up to her.

"Esmeralda whatever is the matter?" Ada asked worried for the girl. The teenager continued to cry and Ada put her arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"Why don't we go to my office and we can talk about it?" Ada asked before she vanished making both of them appear in her office.

* * *

"Do you want anything dear?" Ada asked gently. Esmeralda shook her head and sat down wiping the fresh tears that were falling out of her eyes. Ada sat down opposite her.

"What has made you so upset dear?" Ada asked concerned for her pupils well-being.

"Ethie." Esmie replied in between her tears.

"Did you have a fight?" Ada asked concerned what it was about Ethel that made her cry.

"No...Miss Cackle I don't know what to do..., I am losing her." Esmie replied through her sobs.

Ada looked down knowing exactly how that felt. She had remembered how she had felt when she lost Agatha as a friend and sister and instead gained an enemy.

"I know Ethel has been quiet recently but I am sure she will get better." Ada replied trying to reassure the girl.

"She won't...she is so depressed she won't even get out of bed. She had a breakdown and said she wished she had never been born...I don't know what to do to help her." Esmie replied feeling useless.

Ada was shocked that Ethel had admitted something like that and that was when she realised she was much worse than she had initially thought.

"Is this anything to do with your parents?" Ada asked remembering Ethel shouting at her a few weeks ago.

Esmie nodded and looked at the floor before replying.

"She wants their love but even I know they totally blank her, and it's not the same having me, she wants a mothers love and I can't give her that." Esmeralda told Ada explaining why she was at a loss as to what she could do.

"I think it will be wise if I got your parents to come in." Ada told the young girl, thinking what would be best in this situation.

"No don't please." Esmie replied not wanting her parents to get involved.

"I have to let them know if their daughter is suffering." Ada replied knowing it wasn't right to not share something as bad as this with them.

"But it won't help, they don't care about Ethie you can't force someone to feel something if they don't." Esmeralda replied smartly not seeing how her parents coming in would solve anything at all.

"Maybe it won't solve anything but there is very little that can't be solved through discussion, I think it would be wise to sit you down with your sisters and you can all talk as a family." Ada suggested the best possible solution to the issue at hand.

"Well I suppose it can't make anything worse." Esmie replied with a shrug.

"Good I will plan that then for as soon as possible." Ada told her pupil with a smile.

"And if it doesn't work?" Esmie asked needing to know what would happen then.

"Then we will go onto plan B." Ada replied even though she hadn't created that plan yet.

"Which is what?" Esmie asked curiously wanting to know what she was planning.

"I have not thought that far ahead yet but I will think of something." Ada said reassuring her that she would create something.

"Why won't she listen to me?" Esmie asked upset that she cannot get her sister to listen.

Ada sighed. She remembered all too well how Agatha would push her away. She would try to help her but normally it would end with them getting into an argument. It was like the more she tried to help the more her sister would push her away.

"I don't know...remember Esmeralda you can only do so much for her. Ethel is the only one who can really change herself." Ada told Esmeralda not wanting the girl to feel guilty.

"I know but I feel like I am not doing enough, I am scared she is going to do something stupid." Esmeralda admitted feeling like Ethel getting this bad was her fault. She after all was the eldest she was supposed to be able to see if one of her sisters was suffering.

"You can't think like that, you do everything you can, what more can you do than show you love and care for them?" Ada asked rhetorically.

"I suppose you are right Miss." Esmie told her seeing that she really cannot do anything more.

"I do need to tell you something important though." Ada started knowing this had to be said.

"What is that Miss?" Esmie asked wanting to know what Ada had to tell her.

"I think back a lot to what I could have done differently so that Agatha would not have turned out the way she did and I realised I made a big mistake." Ada admitted to her sharing what she wanted to let her know.

"What was your mistake?" Esmie asked knowing this was personal but also knowing both of them were older sisters, they understood each other in a way no-one else did in this way.

"I gave up on her in the end, in the end I did not see anyway I could help her so I gave up trying and left her to do what she wanted, that was my mistake." Ada replied sadly. This was something Ada will always feel guilty about. If she had stuck by her maybe just maybe she could have saved her but she had no idea how she was supposed to help her at the time. Ada did not want history to repeat itself, she might not have been able to help Agatha but she would do everything she could to help Ethel.

"Whatever happens don't give up on her, that is when things go wrong, even if everyone is against her make sure you don't give up on her." Ada warned her knowing just what can happen otherwise.

Esmeralda looked up at Ada and wiped her eyes before talking.

"Do you still love Agatha?" Esmie asked she knew it was a personal question but she had to know the answer.

"Yes." Ada replied without hesitation "Even after everything she has done all the pain she has caused people I still love her and no matter what she does I always will. She is my sister after all." Ada replied truthfully. Ada still had hope deep inside of her that one day Agatha would change and that she could be back in her life.

Esmie nodded in understanding. As an older sister she would always love her two sisters even if they did turn out like Agatha.

"I will never give up on Ethie, I know what she is really like." Esmeralda replied knowing who her sister was deep down.

"That is the thing about sisters, we see both sides to them. Agatha had good in her too but she chose the bad side." Ada replied sharing more about her sister with the girl.

"Thank you for your help Miss, I promise I won't give up on her." Esmeralda replied as she smiled softly.

"Then she will be okay! Ethel is not going to end up like Agatha, I was alone but this time there is two of us and I know we can make Ethel see sense." Ada told Esmie hoping to put her at ease.

Esmie was not so sure. She knew the girl was stubborn and their parents won't change their treatment towards her but she would never give up, she could not give up on Ethie.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

That Monday morning Mr and Mrs Hallow came into the school. All three sisters had been excused from morning lessons for the meeting and were currently sat in Miss Cackle's office as she went to greet their parents. They were all nervous, well except for Sybil who was just excited about seeing her mum and dad.

Miss Cackle walked through the door with their parents and Sybil jumped up running into her parents arms before sitting between them happily. Neither Esmeralda or Ethel moved just wanting this meeting over with. Ada sat in the middle to start explaining why they were here.

"Thank you for coming in this morning, I called you in today to talk about Ethel." Ada started giving the brief to them both. Ethel looked down not wanting to make eye contact with her parents.

"What has she done now?" Mr Hallow asked in an annoyed tone.

"Oh nothing, she has been much better behaved this year except for the transfer incident I wrote to you about. No the thing I wanted to talk to you about is I am convinced Ethel has depression." Ada stated explaining her reasoning for this meeting.

Mrs Hallow looked at the woman like she was mental "You called us in and made us miss a day of work for this?" the woman asked unsympathetically.

"Mrs Hallow this is very important, depression..." Ada started to say before Mrs Hallow interrupted her.

"She does not have depression she is thirteen for crying out loud!" Mrs Hallow replied annoyed at the pointless meeting.

At this comment Esmie spoke for the first time "Ethie is twelve, she is not thirteen until January." Esmie replied annoyed her parents did not even know their own daughters age.

"Either way." Ada cut in not wanting the oldest daughter to start fighting with her mum and dad because it was not the point of the meeting. "Ethel is very depressed right now, and yes it is possible for twelve year olds be depressed."

"What possible reason would she have to be upset?" her father asked not understanding the importance of depression. The family were rich and had a big house and expensive things to him he saw no reason why she should be upset when she had everything.

"Because you pretend she doesn't exist." Esmie replied before anyone could even open their mouths.

"Now don't be silly Esmeralda that is not true." Mr Hallow replied growing annoyed.

"Yes it is, you make her feel so low whenever you push her aside it was only a matter of time until this happened, she is lacking affection obviously." Esmeralda replied with her arms folded.

"I think what Esmeralda is trying to say Mr and Mrs Hallow is maybe you could try to give Ethel a bit more attention." Ada said simply and getting to the point.

"We are rich, she has expensive and nice things what more could she want?" Mr Hallow asked still not getting what the problem really was.

"She wants you two to love her, buying someone loads of expensive things when you have more than enough money than you know what to do with does not mean that you love them." Esmeralda said annoyed that they just wanted to buy their daughter out.

"For goodness sake what can we do when she is at school most of the year?" Mrs Hallow asked not seeing the importance.

"Oh please even Miss Cackle knows that you couldn't care less about Ethie, and it is alright for you two because you are not the ones dealing with the consequences of it." Esmie replied becoming angry at her parents.

"Why are you so bothered about our relationship with our daughter when you get more than enough attention?" Mr Hallow asked not understanding Esmie's involvement.

"Because I don't like seeing my sister upset." Esmie replied simply. Ada touched her head knowing an argument was coming.

"Our parenting is nothing to do with you." Mrs Hallow responded not liking anyone questioning how she parented her girls.

"It is something to do with me if you are rubbish parents." Esmie replied saying why it mattered for her involvement.

"How dare you imply that!." Mrs Hallow said offended.

"Well it is true, let's be honest if the code did not say you had to treat your oldest daughter well you would not treat me well either, you have only ever fully loved Sybil." Esmeralda told them truthfully.

"You have no idea how hard it is to be a parent, how dare you question us when you have no experience yourself." Mr Hallow replied rising his voice a little.

"I look after both my sisters more than you do, even when we are at home you are always working so it is left to me to look after Ethie and Sybil." Esmie replied also raising her voice a little. Sybil looked between her parents and sister as they spoke and Ethie kept her head down not uttering a word.

"You are spoiled, nothing is ever enough for you two, Sybil does not ask for much but you two always want more." Mrs Hallow replied cruelly to her daughters.

"That is not true, I just want you to love Ethie and treat her the same as Sybil and I but you don't. You know I stuck up for you until parents evening last year when you sent that hologram of yourself, that was just plain low mother." Esmie replied telling her what she really thought.

"I already said sorry for that." Mrs Hallow replied wishing she would just forgot that now.

"Sorry isn't good enough, who does that in the first place?" Esmeralda asked confused why someone would do that.

Ada decided enough was enough and raised her hand up for silence only to be blatantly ignored by both parties.

"You know I feel sorry for you both, you don't see the real Ethie you just see the bad points, you are missing out on your child's life." Esmeralda replied trying to get them to actually understand the point they are just not getting.

"Esmeralda how many times do we have to tell you to stop with that silly nickname?" Her father replied, he did not like his eldest calling his middle child 'Ethie' as he thought it was a stupid name.

Esmeralda sat there confused before she replied "I have called her that since the day she was born, that is what I know her as I can't just stop and Ethie is cute." Esmie replied truthfully loving the nickname.

"Well can you try a bit harder?" her mother asked also not liking the nickname.

"You call Sybil Sybilly" Esmie replied throwing it back at them that they do the same with Sybil.

"Yes but that is cute." Mrs Hallow replied affectionately.

"So is Ethie." Esmie replied her point proven.

Ada had had enough and shouted "Stop!" The three of them stopped arguing as a buzzing sound sounded. Mr Hallow pulled out a posh mobile and read a message casually clearly not concerned with his daughter's well-being.

"Sorry we are going to have to go, something at work has come up." he said as he and his wife got ready to leave.

"But Mr Hallow...we haven't finished talking about Ethel yet." Miss Cackle replied amazed they were actually going.

"She will be fine, all teenagers have moody days. I will buy her something to cheer her up." he said as he still stared at his phone screen. Still having totally not heard or understood a thing this session was trying to express.

Mrs Hallow kissed and hugged Sybil and then walked to her eldest daughter. She tried to hug her but Esmie shrugged her off not even looking in her direction.

"Come on Ethie, we best go." Esmie said as she took her sister's hand and led her out the office not saying anything to her parents.

* * *

Esmeralda was really upset. She thought her parents might show some type of love or care when they found out they had caused their daughter to become mentally ill, however they didn't even register that anything was even wrong.

Sybil had always being so close to her parents and when she was younger Esmie had been close to them too but right at that moment she could feel herself distancing from them. It was not just the way they treated Ethel it was the fact she finally was seeing them for what they were and she did not like what they were.

In that moment Esmie knew she would never care for them quite as much again. Their relationship wouldn't ever be how it ever was, it couldn't now as they didn't even listen or register anything was wrong. She had hoped maybe they would try, maybe understand a little bit that Ethie needed them but they didn't do a thing. Nothing for their family would remain the same any longer.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

After the disaster of a meeting with Ethel's parents Ada had to think of something else in order to help her troubled pupil. She had promised Esmeralda she would come up with a plan B and she had. She thought Ethel should see a therapist. Esmeralda liked the idea but the problem was getting Ethel to go to the meeting.

Currently the two oldest girls were sat in Esmie's room as Esmie told Ethel about the therapist.

"I am not seeing a therapist I am not mental." Ethel said quietly still really suffering.

"I know that Ethie, no-one is saying you are but it might help you. I will tell you what if you go to one meeting then decide you don't want to go to anymore I will not push you." Esmie told her knowing pushing her would not help, she had to want to get better herself.

"Alright...if it will stop you nagging." Ethel replied sad after the meeting with her parents went so badly.

* * *

A week later on Friday night after lessons Ethel was stood outside Ada's office for her first meeting with the therapist. She was really nervous but tried to keep herself calm. Ada came out after talking to the therapist for a few minutes and told Ethel she could go in. Ethel pushed open the door and stepped into the office.

"Hello Ethel, my name is Sandra Cauldronhead, please take a seat." the woman said kindly. Ethel took a seat on one of the comfy chairs the staff normally sat in and took a proper look at the woman.

She had curly brown hair and a pair of red glasses on her face. She was wearing a grey suit and had a notepad and pen ready. The woman could tell the blonde girl was nervous.

"Just try to relax, there is no pressure for anything. I am just going to ask you some questions and I want you to answer them as best as you can, or if today you don't want to talk that is okay too." Sandra said trying to relax the girl.

"So Miss Cackle tells me you have a very strained relationship with your parents is that true?" Sandra asked wanting to hear from the girl herself.

"They hate me." Ethel replied with a shrug not going into detail.

"And why do you believe that?" Sandra asked needing to know what made the girl think that.

"They don't bother with me only my sisters, they treat me much differently to them." Ethel replied quietly.

Sandra looked down at her notes in concentration reading the information about her patient.

"Your sisters are Esmeralda and Sybil is that right?" Sandra asked clarifying.

Ethel nodded confirming that was correct.

"Can you explain in what ways you are treated differently?" Sandra asked her next question.

"Well...they totally blank me most of the time, they never show up to anything important if it is to do with me and they are always comparing me to the other two." Ethel stated still very quiet when she answers.

Sandra wrote down what Ethel said as she listened to the girl talk.

"And how would you say you get on with your sisters? Does this different treatment affect your relationship with them?" Sandra asked wanting to get deeper into how it was all affecting her.

"Well Sybil and I fight a lot but it is normally just bickering, we are only a year apart so we find it hard to get along a lot of the time. I would not say she hates me though." Ethel replied telling her how she viewed her relationship with her younger sister.

"Esmie and I get on quite well most of the time, we are close, though I push her away a lot." Ethel admitted to the woman.

"And why do you do that?" Sandra asked curiously.

"I don't know, I guess I feel a bitterness towards her for being the oldest, and she is perfect at everything and nothing ever goes right for me." Ethel replied sadly.

"So do you feel compared to her a lot?" Sandra asked as she got that impression.

"Yes, everyone always compares us, I am Esmeralda's little sister, or the disappointing Hallow." Ethel replied with a sigh.

"So you feel like you are always in her shadow?" The woman asked needing more detail.

"Yes because I am, even if I do something well it doesn't matter because she did it first." Ethel replied in a sad voice.

Sandra nodded writing on her notepad.

"You know I am a middle child myself, it can be hard being in the middle so I do understand that." Sandra told her expressing how she had found it hard to be in Ethel's position.

"I bet your parents loved you though." Ethel replied shrugging again.

"How would you say your relationships are with others, teachers, classmates?" Sandra asked seeing how she was with others outside her family.

"Alright I suppose, my classmates and I don't get on very well though." Ethel replied honestly.

"Why is that?" Sandra asked her intrigued by what she was saying.

"Well I guess it is because I can be mean to them sometimes." Ethel replied not really bothered if the woman judged her as she was used to getting judged for bullying people.

"Do you pick on people because it makes you feel better to see someone else suffer?" Sandra asked making sure she did not sound judgemental at all.

"I suppose...I like seeing other people suffer instead of it being me and I suppose I panic. I don't think I fit in and just say something mean to cover up how I feel." Ethel replied sharing the truth. She had not spoke properly in weeks so she was not sure why she was suddenly revealing all to this woman.

"Oh so you feel like you don't fit in?" Sandra now asked happy to be finding out more.

"Yes, I don't know I always feel different." Ethel admitted to her.

"To me it seems you are not happy with yourself would you say that is a fair statement?" Sandra asked wanting to know what the girl felt.

"Yes that is true." Ethel replied agreeing with her.

"How do you feel about yourself?" Sandra asked probably the most important question.

"I feel like an outsider, like I am not as good as everyone else and that I will never achieve much." Ethel replied honestly.

Sandra nodded as she saw the clock. The hour was already up.

"The hour is up already Ethel, thank you for talking to me today now there is something I want you to do for me for the next session." Sandra started sharing what she wanted her to work on.

"What is that?" Ethel asked sounding a bit worried.

"I have noticed you are very hard on yourself and seem to have lost your own sense of self identity so I want you to write down a list of as many things as you can that you like about yourself." Sandra told her giving her an assignment. Ethel nodded.

"You also seem to think everyone is against you, I want you to write a list of all the people you believe love or care about you." Sandra told her providing her with a second assignment.

"Alright...thank you." Ethel replied as she got up to leave the room.

* * *

"How was it?" Esmie asked as her sister came out of the room.

"It was okay...maybe you were right." Ethel replied quietly.

Esmeralda smiled at her sister hoping things were finally going to start looking up.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Ethel was the not the only one who had to see the therapist. The therapist had asked to speak to both the other two sisters as well as she wanted to get a clear picture as to where Ethel's troubles laid. The first one to see the therapist was Sybil.

"Hello there Sybil I just have a few things to ask you." Sandra said after introducing herself.

"So how do you get on with your parents?" Sandra asked knowing it was important to see if Ethel was the only one who had a weak relationship with them.

"I love mum and dad! They are always so nice." Sybil replied happily.

Sandra wrote that comment on her notepad before asking something else.

"And how do Esmeralda and Ethel get on with them?" Sandra asked wanting to see what she had noticed from her family's interactions.

"Well Esmie used to get on with them but she was moody with them the last time we saw them but she is a teenager so it must be chromosomes." Sybil replied sharing how Esmie is with her parents now.

Sandra looked down trying not to burst into laughter at Sybil's mistake.

"Do you mean hormones?" Sandra asked correcting what she had meant.

"Yes I don't know what they are exactly but people say teenagers have them." Sybil replied still unaware what they were.

"And what about Ethel?" Sandra asked wanting to hear what she felt Ethel was like with their parents.

"She does not like mum and dad, but that is because they tell her off for being bad." Sybil replied sharing with Sandra.

"Okay so do you not think your parents are to blame?" Sandra asked wanting to get her view on it.

"No, Ethel is naughty so they have to tell her off." Sybil replied her perception of the situation.

"And how do you view your relationship with your sisters?" Sandra now asked wanting to understand their relationship.

"Esmeralda is really nice to me and looks after me a lot, Ethel and I are always fighting but I still like her, but I love mum and dad more." Sybil admitted honestly. She did love her sisters but she loved her parents most.

* * *

After talking to the youngest sister it was Esmeralda's turn. Esmeralda walked in quietly and looked at Sandra.

"Hello Esmeralda, I am Sandra Cauldronhead, now I am just going to ask you some questions in order to help me get a better understanding of your families situation." Sandra told Esmeralda.

"Alright well if it is to help Ethie, I will answer them as best as I can." Esmeralda replied willing to do anything for her sister.

"Right well let's start simple, how do you personally get on with your parents?" Sandra started off by asking.

"Alright I suppose." Esmeralda replied not sure how she would describe her relationship with them.

Sandra could tell there was a bit of tension between Esmie and her parents by the way she spoke about them. As Esmeralda was older and more mature she asked her some more advanced questions that Ethel and Sybil might not have being able to answer.

"Okay let's try again, how do you feel towards your parents?" Sandra asked changing her question.

"I...care for them." Esmeralda replied not exactly sure herself how she feels about her parents anymore after how much they had hurt Ethel.

"But you don't feel any love towards them?" Sandra asked wanting to get more in depth of her feelings.

Esmeralda sat in silence for a few moments thinking about it all.

"I have never been as close to them as Sybil and have never liked it when they have fussed over me and left Ethel aside; but now that I am older I see their lack of care towards her and it has caused me to drift apart from them a lot. I guess I do love them, but I do not respect them and well I love my sisters more." Esmeralda admitted trying to get her feelings out.

"So you have recently felt yourself distancing from them?" Sandra asked for confirmation.

"No, when I was about Sybil's age I think it started. I used to go home and find Ethie upset because mum and dad had upset her, it started around then when I realised what was happening, but this year it has increased." Esmie told her explaining exactly when it all started.

"So in your opinion the only one who has a good relationship with your parents currently is Sybil?" Sandra asked clarifying.

"Basically yes, but Sybil has always been so close to them, they showered her with love and protection, mum and dad would panic about her a lot so much so she spent the majority of her early years just with them mainly because they were afraid to let her out of their sight. Ethie and I were at our Grandma's a lot together so that would change the way Sybil is with them." Esmie replied smartly.

"That makes sense, and how do you get on with your sisters, what do you feel towards them?" Sandra asked wanting to know this in order to help Ethel.

"I love Sybil very much, despite being so close to mum and dad she is much sweeter than both of them and she is quite easy to look after as it does not take much to make her happy. Ethel and Sybil fight like cat and mouse but their personalities clash and they are a year apart but I see that both of them care for each other, we all get on well." Esmeralda replied telling her how she feels honestly about Sybil.

"And what about Ethel?" Sandra asked really interested to hear what the eldest girl really thought about her sister now that she was free to admit whatever she wanted.

"Ethie and I are very close, though she does push me away a lot but I know she is hurting and upset because I am the eldest so I have all of the old family heirlooms and people value the eldest child more." Esmeralda told Sandra exactly how she felt.

"That is fair enough, but how do you view Ethel? How do you feel towards her personally?" Sandra asked probably the most important question of the session.

Esmeralda once again fell silent. She knew how she felt about Ethel but it was putting it in words which was the hard bit. She wanted to get it right as she knew this was important.

"I...I." Esmeralda started struggling to find a way to explain.

"Take your time." Sandra said knowing it was hard to explain.

"I care about mum and dad, I love my grandparents and I love Sybil very much but I love Ethie the most, I think I always have." Esmeralda replied feeling kind of bad as she does not like to admit she cares for Ethel more than Sybil as that is what her parents did and she noticed but as long as she still bothers with Sybil it is okay right?

"You always have? Explain that to me." Sandra asked curiously.

"I always wanted a sister and I was so happy when Ethie was born, but I remember feeling a bond the second I saw her, people say I can't remember as I was a toddler but I have never forgotten that feeling. I had never felt like that towards anyone before, the love was much stronger than I had experienced previously, that feeling never faded I still feel it." Esmeralda admitted trying to explain.

"So you really do love your sister? It is not because you have to or anything?" Sandra asked needing to get the information.

"No I love her the most in the world, I have never connected to someone like Ethie before." Esmeralda replied honestly.

"And that is why you forgave her after what happened with Agatha Cackle last year?" Sandra asked having been informed about what had happened.

"Yes, she made a mistake but I never stopped loving her, even if she won't accept my love it is still there, you see the thing is people see Ethel Hallow but I see Ethie." Esmeralda replied explaining. She really wanted the woman to understand that she saw an different person from who everyone else saw.

"Well you obviously love her a great deal." the woman replied with a slight smile.

"Yes I do, shame she won't listen when I tell her." Esmeralda replied with a sigh.

"Mmm well actions sometimes speak louder than words." Sandra replied sharing some wisdom with the younger girl.

"I try to show her but she is not someone who likes hugs that much." Esmie replied having tried many times to do that.

"I did not mean it like that, sometimes you might have to prove your love." Sandra replied explaining a bit further.

Esmeralda sat there and smiled. She got such an amazing idea into her head, an real way to prove her undying love for Ethie.

"That is it, you are a genius." Esmeralda replied standing up and rushing out the room leaving the woman there confused. Not waiting to know if she was finished or to be excused from the session, just desperate to start working on her plan.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Esmeralda did not have much time to sort her plan out as Christmas was fast approaching. Everything was much more hectic and Esmie had exams she had to start studying for.

The therapist did however seem to be helping. Ethel was still not bright and cheery but she was not completely quiet anymore, she spoke even if it was only a tiny bit in comparison to how she had spoken her first year. The thing is Ethel was making progress but the sisters had to go home for the holidays as no-one was allowed to stay in the castle over Christmas and Esmie was worried seeing their parents would send Ethel downhill again.

* * *

Before they knew it they were leaving to go home for the holidays. That day was a horrible cold winter morning and all three sisters shivered. Ethel had not said anything the whole morning clearly worried about seeing her mother and father.

All three of them flew in the sky towards their house, Esmie making sure Sybil kept on track as she was bad with directions. Eventually they landed outside their mansion.

The three girls started walking on the path towards the front door when the door burst open and Mr and Mrs Hallow ran out.

* * *

"SYBILLY" Mrs Hallow shouted wrapping her arms lovingly around her youngest daughter and kissing her face all over. After her mother had let go of her her father did the same thing and then her mother turned to her other children.

"And there is my Esmeralda." her mother said about to hug her but Esmie ducked out of the way.

"What is wrong with you?" her mother asked concerned as she tried again but Esmie did the same thing.

"Just leave her Marissa, you know what these teenagers are like, it is no longer cool to hug their parents." Mr Hallow said with a chuckle. Neither seemed to realise Esmie no longer really cared for them despite the fact she had not mirrored them in weeks.

Mrs Hallow laughed too and then led her youngest child in with her husband. Esmie put her hands on her sisters shoulders and led her inside neither of them speaking.

Entering the hall they all took off their coats and sighed in relief as they felt heat hit them. Sybil followed her mother and father into the living room and Esmie took Ethel the other way upstairs before anyone could notice they were missing. They walked into Esmeralda's room Ethel looking pale.

"Are you okay? You don't look to well." Esmeralda asked concerned about her sister's health.

"My stomach hurts...I think it is nervousness." Ethel replied telling her sister exactly what was wrong with her.

"Why don't you lie down for a while and see if you feel any better?" Esmeralda suggested setting her bed up for her sister. Ethel crawled in the bed sadly.

"I will be right here I am just going to study for a bit." Esmie told her as she picked up her spells book and opened it.

* * *

Ethel fell asleep soon after and Esmie sat in her chair reading until her eyes grew tired. Realising how hungry she was after not eating all day she put her book down and snook down to the kitchen not wanting her parents to see her.

"Dave can you give us some snacks?" Esmeralda asked their chef. He was a tall man with bright eyes, dark hair and had been working at the mansion for many years.

"Of course." he said before producing a plate with sandwiches, crisps and biscuits. He was curious as to why the girl was not with her parents but it was no business of his.

Esmeralda thanked him and carried the plate up to her bedroom and found Ethel awake but still lying down.

"Hey, I got us some food." Esmie said as she put the plate on the bed and grabbed a sandwich starting to eat it.

"I still feel sick." Ethel replied sitting up more to try and stop the feeling of nausea.

"Try eating something, you haven't eaten all day that is probably a big part of the reason you feel sick." Esmeralda replied knowing her sister getting food into her body would really help her.

Ethel picked up a biscuit and nibbled it softly. Esmie touched her sister's forehead still concerned.

"You do not feel hot, I am sure it will pass, do you want some painkillers?" Esmeralda asked wanting her sister to feel better.

The younger girl nodded and took the painkillers her sister offered her from the drawer on her bedside table.

"Eat, it will help." the older sister said again wanting her to be eating. Ethel carried on nibbling on the biscuit still not looking very well. The two of them sat in silence for a while until Ethel started to speak so quietly Esmie could barely make out what she was saying.

"Esmie...I..." she started to say incredibly quietly.

"What is it Ethie?" Esmie asked not liking her sister like this. Something was on her mind she could tell.

Ethel opened her mouth but no words came out just as they were both distracted by a loud knocking on the door.

"Give me a minute." Esmie said touching her sisters leg before getting up and opening the door to her mother.

"Yes?" Esmie asked not in the mood for her mother.

"What are you doing hiding up here? Come down so we can spend time as a family." her mother told her.

"I am studying." Esmeralda replied wanting to get rid of her.

"Oh you don't need to study, you will pass everything with flying colours, now come on." her mother demanded.

"I can't Ethie is sick." Esmeralda replied truthfully.

"Just let her sleep it off, the family wants to play a board game." Mrs Hallow replied not concerned about Ethel.

Esmeralda tutted and then slammed the door in her mother's face annoyed. The woman continued knocking on the door but Esmie cast a silencing spell and a locking spell on her door.

* * *

"That woman." Esmeralda said to herself as she walked back to her bed.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Esmeralda asked only then realising her sister was not in the bed.

"Ethie? Ethie?" she said concerned looking for her.

She could hear crying outside her bathroom door but when she tried to open it she could feel Ethel's weight pressing against it.

"Ethie let me in." Esmie said really worried.

She knew this would happen. That Ethel would go back downhill after this visit and now it seemed their parents had made her sick with fear. This was only the first day of the holiday, it made her even more scared thinking Ethel had to suffer for so long while they have to be at home.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Come on Ethie open the door" Esmeralda said worried about her sister. She did not like the idea of her being locked in a bathroom alone when she was upset.

She heard movement from behind the door and when she opened the door this time it opened as her sister had clearly moved. She opened the door and found Ethel sat on the floor with her knees to her chest crying.

Esmeralda went and kneeled by her sister touching her shoulder gently. Ethel looked up at her with tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Esmie asked concerned about her sister.

"I can't..." Ethie said in response as tears fell out of her eyes.

"You can't what?" Esmeralda asked confused as to what her sister meant.

"I thought I would be okay seeing them...but I'm not" Ethel said slowly as she cried.

"Well it will be hard, I mean you haven't seen them since you started therapy." Esmie replied trying to explain.

"But it has all come back, the feelings I had before I started seeing Sandra, I was starting to deal with them but seeing mum and dad has brought them back." Ethel said upset everything she worked on had come back.

"Seeing mum and dad will always be hard because that is where your problems lie, just try to remember what Sandra said, that you have people who love and care for you and to try not think to much into it." Esmeralda replied trying to help her sister.

"I am trying but it is just hard when they are fussing over you and Sybil." Ethel replied honestly sharing exactly what made it hurt more.

"Come on, let's go back to my room and we can talk." Esmie said helping her sister up and leading her back to her room.

* * *

Esmeralda spent the next few hours trying to distract her sister a tactic Sandra had recommended she do. Currently she was doing her hair something Esmie loved to do and Ethie enjoyed having done. Last time Esmie had asked Ethel had refused so she thought she had made some progress if she was letting her do it.

"I like when you do it, it always hurts when Grandma does it." Ethie said grateful her sister was gentle.

"Oh I know, remember how the three of us use to run away screaming when she picked up the brush?" Esmeralda asked a slight laugh escaping at the memory of those times.

"And we used to hide in the same place everytime, in her old wardrobe because it was the only place we could fit all three of us at once." Ethie replied remembering that too.

"Yes that was dumb of us." Esmeralda replied as she finished brushing her sister's blonde hair.

"So what hairstyle do you want, Mildred's plaits? HB's Bun?" Esmie asked playing with her sister.

"None! I don't want to look like Mildred or HB." Ethie replied looking at her sister seriously not wanting either at all. Esmeralda just laughed at her.

"I am just teasing, I know what I can do." Esmeralda replied as she started to put her sisters hair up.

"Anything as long as it is not anything to do with HB or Mildred." Ethie said seriously not wanting Esmie to style her hair that way.

"It's not don't worry." Esmie reassured her as she styled her sisters hair.

"All done." Esmie said as she turned her sister around so she could see in the mirror.

"We look like twins." Esmie said as she had done the same hairstyle she always does on herself on little sister.

"I don't think it looks quite as appealing on me." Ethel said trying to get used to seeing the hairstyle on herself.

"Nonsense, you look beautiful." Esmie said as she grabbed her phone.

"Let me take a picture." Esmie said taking a picture of them both and sending it to her friends knowing they would find it amusing.

* * *

They sat in Esme's room for an hour more Ethel feeling much better until there was another knock on the door.

"If that is mum again I swear." Esmeralda said as she got up to answer it. A man was stood outside in a black suit.

"Good evening Miss Hallow." he said politely.

Esmeralda was confused it was very weird for the butler to be knocking at her door.

"I have a message from your parents they said if you don't eat with them you will not be served anything." the butler said sharing what he had been told to tell them.

Esmeralda knew that they had to listen to her parents as they were in charge so if her parents told the kitchen not to give them food they wouldn't. Esmeralda rolled her eyes.

"We will be down in ten minutes." Esmeralda replied as she closed the door.

"I don't want to eat with them." Ethel complained, panicky starting to hit her again just at the thought of eating with them.

"Me either, but you know they are being serious and I am starving." Esmeralda replied with a sigh.

* * *

Ten minutes later the oldest two girls walked down the stairs both starving and wanting food, walking into the dining room they sat down in silence.

"I am glad to see you have come to your senses." their father said as they all started to eat.

"So Esmeralda tell me how school is going?" her mother asked her oldest. Esmeralda stayed silent not wanting to engage in conversation with them.

"How is studying going?" her father then asked his eldest.

Esmeralda blanked him and instead started to speak to Ethel, doing to them exactly what they had always done to their middle child.

"Excuse me young lady when I ask a question you will answer it." her father replied annoyed. The teenager still did not respond but spoke to Ethel quietly making sure she was okay.

"Esmeralda...Esmeralda...we are talking to you!" her mother said not liking her rudeness.

"Well I am not talking to you." Esmeralda replied not wanting to give them the satisfaction of having her speak to them.

"Esmeralda will you stop with this attitude." her mother said really getting annoyed.

"I am only doing what you do so you know how it feels to be ignored." Esmeralda replied honestly sharing why she was doing it.

"You will show us some respect we are your parents!" Mr Hallow said insulted at the way his eldest was acting towards them.

"You have to earn respect and you don't deserve any with the way you treat Ethie." Esmeralda replied to them. It seemed that all she was doing with her parents these days was fighting.

* * *

Ethel watched as her parents fought with her sister. She felt herself becoming upset, she hated when it happened. Suddenly she could feel herself struggling to breath and ran out of the room fast.

"Ethie...now look what you've done." Esmie said to her parents jumping up and going after her sister.

She found Ethel outside the room holding her chest and gasping for breath clearly panicking.

"I can't breathe." Ethel said through her struggled breaths.

Esmeralda realised her parents had stressed her sister out so much she was having a panic attack.

"Ethie, breathe slowly." Esmie said trying to help her but her sister was panicking so much she couldn't obey her.

"Ethie breathe with me." she said breathing in slowly and out slowly Ethel started to copy as best she could but it wasn't easy. Eventually after a while of trying to copy her sisters breathing she slowly managed to get it under more control and her breathing was less rapid.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

After Ethie's panic attack Esmeralda was really worried she was becoming quiet again but Christmas was soon coming and she hoped that the cheerful holiday which cheer her up.

After the argument with their parents Esmie and Ethie were spending all their time together away from their parents.

"Sybil will love this" Ethel commented as she helped her sister wrap up her present of an fancy pink dress.

"So would Miss Pentangle" Esmie replied making an joke.

"Oh yes she would love it" Ethel said. She looked at Esmie with an smile.

"It is Christmas Eve, you know what that means" Ethel said not able to help herself getting happy with the holiday season.

"We watch an Christmas film, I will go and get snacks and you pick the film" Esmeralda said happily as she left to go to the kitchens.

"Sybil is watching an film with mum and dad" Esmie told Ethel as she came in.

"Oh well, just the two of us" Ethel replied as she crawled under the covers of her sister's bed.

Esmie crawled on the bed next to her and they watched the film happily.

The thing was it was tradition for them to watch an film every Christmas Eve, but it was also an tradition that they started watching it so late they fell asleep half an hour into it.

* * *

Esmeralda woke up and saw her sister sound asleep next to her. She sat up sightly and saw it was still only seven in the morning, she was just about to go back to sleep for half an hour as she waited for everyone else to wake but just as she closed her eyes she was woken up.

"IT IS CHRISTMAS GET UP!" Sybil shouted knocking on her door.

"Sybil, it is only seven in the morning, go open your stocking!" Esmeralda suggested rubbing her tired eyes.

"I already have get up!" she said as she carried on knocking and Ethel woke up.

"She is worse than an toddler" Ethel complained.

"Alright we are up" Ethel moaned as she opened the door and Sybil ran in wearing an red Christmas jumper with an robin on it.

"Open your stockings come on" Sybil said as she jumped up and down and the eldest two girls opened their stockings happily as they saw what they got. Mr and Mrs Hallow did not believe in stockings so Esmie was in charge of filling them meaning Ethel actually got stuff she liked. Esmeralda's stocking was packed by Ethel and Sybil.

"Oh awesome I have wanted this book for ages, thanks Esmie" she said wrapping her arms around her and kissing her cheek.

"Yes well you have been drooling over it for ages" Esmie said hugging her little sister back really happy she was being affectionately.

"See Ethel Santa knew you wanted that" Sybil replied.

Even though Sybil was eleven she acted younger than her age and still believed in Santa Ethel and Esmeralda looked at each other and raised their eyebrows.

"Well yes Santa is very smart of course he has to know what everyone wants" Ethel replied playing along.

The two girls finished opening their stockings and put their new things back gently as they waited to go and open their main presents.

* * *

Half an hour later Sybil had dragged her mother and father out of bed and they were sitting in the front room. Esmie and Ethie had no choice but to spend this time with their parents as their parents would never let them stay in their rooms on Christmas Day. Sybil sat on the floor opening her presents and letting out squeals of excitement.

Ethel loved Christmas but Ethel was probably one of the only people in the world who thought that the presents was the worst part of the day. Her parents rarely got her something she wanted and even though she was grateful she had an least received something it still spoil her day an little as she watched her sisters look at their new gifts happily.

Esmie saw the look on her sisters face knowing she was feeling an little upset because the gifts she had received were stuff Sybil liked and she had no interest in whatsoever. Esmeralda though could not help but smile knowing what she had planned for that afternoon.

"Oooo thanks" Sybil said as she opened the dress from her sisters and held it up.

"No problem" Esmie replied.

"We knew you would like it" Ethel said with an smile.

Sybil and Ethel had given Esmeralda some books she had wanted and Esmie had helped Sybil pick some DVDS Ethel liked.

Sybil finished opening her gifts and chattered away happily to her parents. Ethel stood up and went to sit next to Esmie.

"I got you something else" Ethel said kindly giving her sister an square shaped package.

Esmie smiled and tore the wrapping paper off the present to reveal an photo frame with different sections, each section had an photo in of Esmeralda and Ethel and some with Sybil as well and at the top it said sisters in white letters.

"I know it is an rubbish gift but you know I don't have money" Ethel said as she saw her sister looking at it.

Esmeralda smiled at the frame happily, Ethel had clearly spent time picking the best pictures and it meant more to her than anything expensive.

"It is perfect" Esmeralda replied happily kissing her on the head.

Ethel was not sure if she was just trying to act grateful but she smiled as she seemed to really like it.

After everyone had finished opening their presents everyone went their separate ways to use their new gifts. Esmie took Ethel by the hand.

"Come with me I need to give you something" Esmeralda said with an smile.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Esmeralda led her sister upstairs to the third floor of the mansion, a floor that no-one used except for storage but Esmie did not want anyone to find them so she led her sister into one of the spare bedrooms.

"Why are we in here?" Ethel asked confused at why they were up there.

"Because I wanted a private place and no-one ever comes up here." Esmeralda replied explaining her reason for being up there.

Ethel shrugged and sat down on the perfectly made bed as her sister walked to the corner of the room and opened the wardrobe pulling something out of it she had left in there earlier.

"Right this is your main Christmas present." Esmie said as she walked back towards her sister carrying the gift in her hand and giving it to Ethie.

Ethel smirked. She knew exactly what the present was, it was clear from the shape of it that it was a broomstick. The broomstick was wrapped up in shiny gold paper.

"Oh I have no idea what it is." Ethel said sarcastically.

"Well I couldn't exactly disguise the shape, go on open it." Esmeralda said with a smile.

Ethel did not need to be told twice. She ripped at the gold paper until the broomstick was revealed only then realising what she was holding in her hands.

* * *

It was a beautiful broomstick. The twigs were perfectly shaped and were tied together with a purple ribbon and the handle was a deep purple colour which had the shape of a moon engraved at the end of the handle in gold and below the moon the name 'HALLOW' was written in beautiful gold lettering. This was not just any old broomstick. This was the Hallow family broomstick.

Ethel just sat there for a few minutes gently touching the broomstick for once in her life completely speechless.

"I don't understand." Ethel finally managed to get out after she had finished admiring the beautiful broomstick and looked at her sister.

"Merry Christmas." Esmie replied beaming at her sister.

"Esmie, you can't give me this!" Ethel replied really confused.

"Why not?" Esmeralda asked not getting why she couldn't.

"It"s yours, it goes against the witches code 'Rule 27: All Family Heirlooms will be given to the eldest daughter on her thirteen birthday." Ethel quoted knowing the code like the back of her hand.

"That is true but you forgot about section B of that rule." Esmie smirked looking at her sister.

"Section B?" Ethel replied confused not knowing what she was talking about.

"Well think about Ethie, not everyone ends up having a daughter do they? What happens in that situation?" Esmeralda asked her sister.

Ethel was so confused by the present she could not think of it at the top of her head.

"Rule 27: Section B: If the owner of the heirlooms has no daughters then she may give the heirlooms to the person she loves the most." Esmeralda quoted back.

Ethel was very smart but in that moment she had never been more confused in her life.

Esmeralda only smirked at her before she turned on the telly playing a video, she had set up this video to try and help Ethel understand. Ethel turned to watch without question.

* * *

The video started and it was clearly quite old from the quality of the film. On the video was a little blonde girl who had her hair tied in a bow who looked no older than three.

"Is that me or you?" Ethel asked not able to tell but then it showed the little girl's clothes were incredibly neat and tidy and they did not have a speck of dirt on them "Oh it's you, I never looked that tidy when I was younger". Ethel said with a small laugh.

Esmie laughed before shushing her telling her to watch the video.

On the video Esmeralda ran down a,long corridor and stopped outside a room looking beyond excited as the door opened. There were people talking in the background and Ethel recognised her parents and her Grandparents voices.

"Esmeralda sit down." a voice Ethel recognised as Grandma Josephine said. Esmeralda seemed unable to stay still and ran to sit in a chair.

"Right you need to be very careful now babies are delicate." she heard her mother say as she saw someone carry a baby over to the little girl and lay the baby gently on her as the person who had been carrying the baby kneeled beside Esmeralda supporting the babies head.

"Esmeralda this is your sister Ethel." Grandma Josephine said proudly. The girl was smiling looking at the baby before she looked up.

"Ethie." Esmeralda said kissing the baby on the head happily.

At this there was snorts in the background people clearly laughing at Esmeralda totally butchering her new sister's name.

"No Ethel." their mother said correcting her daughter.

"Ethie." Esmeralda said again clearly unable to say the name properly.

"No Eth...ful." someone said trying to sound the name out hoping it would help the young girl.

"Et...fie" Esmeralda said again "My sister is Ethie" she said happily as she held her little sister.

It seemed that there was more of the video but Esmeralda turned it off at that point.

"As adorable as that was...why did you show it to me?" Ethel asked not understanding the connection.

"Because I wanted you to see it so I can explain, you see people tell me all the time I can't remember that moment as I was a toddler but you see the moment that I held you I started to smile, because the thing is from that moment I felt a connection." Esmeralda replied explaining to her sister.

* * *

"Well yes obviously because I am your sister." Ethel replied rolling her eyes.

"No, I had never felt something like that before, I never have again not even with Sybil." Esmeralda replied trying to explain.

Ethel just stared at her unable to believe what she was hearing. Esmeralda took the broomstick and showed Ethel some tiny writing at the beginning of the handle in silver that Ethel had not even noticed. It said 'Esmie and Ethie', Ethel stared at the writing in shock.

"I suppose what I am trying to say is well you think I only pretend to like you because I pity you but that is never true in fact...you are the most important person in my life and I love you more than anyone in this world." Esmeralda told her wanting to know how much she loves her.

Esmeralda knew she needed to tell Ethel this because Ethel really did think that she felt sorry for her.

That was what did it for Ethel. The gift her sister had given to her was more than just some broomstick it meant so much more than that. It was a sign of acceptance, trust and most of all love, adding the names on the broomstick meant that future generations would forever know how important they were to each other and with that thought she started to cry.

"I love Sybil too but in a completely different way and it is not as deep, mum and dad sheltered her so much I was never able to bond with her the same, but that is why I always stick up for you because I know you are a good person." Esmeralda carried on.

"But you are supposed to save the broomstick for your own child." Ethel said through her tears.

"I know but the thing is if I do have a daughter I could never love her more than you, I loved you first and that will never change, plus I want you to have the broomstick." Esmeralda told Ethel honestly.

Ethel covered her mouth and started crying quietly. It was the fact that someone actually loved her that much that did it for her, even if it was her sister and not her parents. For her whole life she had always felt like a burden on people and that they would rather her not be there. Esmie put her arms around around her worried she was upset because she was sad.

"Are you okay?" Esmeralda asked concerned.

"Yes, thank you for the present." Ethie replied as she cried more.

"You are welcome." Esmie said with a happy smile.

"I...I love you too." Ethie said as she leaned into Esme to cry more. As she said that Esme kissed her head. She had been waiting to hear them words from Ethie from a long time and she had been waiting for her to accept her love. She smiled stroking her hair thinking how the worst Christmas had turned to the best.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

After the heart to heart Ethel finally realised her sister loved her and started to accept her love. A few days after Christmas the two girls made their way to the local library as Ethel had never returned the book she borrowed and they wanted to study. They had asked Sybil but unlike her sisters she hated studying so she refused.

Walking in the library Ethel sneaked over to the section about the transfer spell and replaced the book before anyone could see her. She then went to another section as she needed some books for her essay she was doing.

Esmeralda found the books she needed first and went and sat at a table to start looking through them, a few minutes later Ethel placed the books she needed on the table next to her sister before sitting down next to her.

"Joy, an essay for HB." Ethel said sarcastically as she opened the book to the section she needed.

Esmeralda was studying knowing she had exams coming up soon when she heard Ethel sigh.

"Esmie...can you explain this?" Ethel asked wanting help. She didn't usually like to ask for help but she really didn't get it. Esmeralda smiled only too happy to help her sister.

"I understand how time spells work and everything but why do some spells last longer than others I don't get it." Ethel told her explaining what she wanted her help on.

Esmie took the book so she could see it and leaned close to Ethel to explain.

"Basically there are different things that can change the time a spell lasts, the spell itself makes a difference if it is not a major change it might not last as long and also the strength of the potion determines how long it takes to wear off." Esmeralda explained simply not understanding why the book was making it seem so much more confusing.

"Oh I get it!, thanks Esmie." Ethel said with a smile finally understanding "I want to get a good grade on this essay." Ethel said as she was only getting in the high 80's most of the time these days.

"Give me your notebook a minute." Esmie replied taking her sister's notebook and flicking through it seeing there were pages and pages of writing all on the exact same thing.

"You know you only need to write down the important parts, that is why you are not getting as high grades as you want, you write down so much information you can't remember it all, only write down the key points." Esmie suggested giving her sister an easy way to study.

"Oh thanks." Ethel said happily actually glad she asked her sister for help.

* * *

The two of them studied for a while longer until Ethel stood up needing another book, she walked to the section she needed but ran back to the table and sat down a moment later.

"What is wrong?" Esmie asked really worried why she had ran back so suddenly.

"Zac...Zac is there..." Ethel said clearly panicked.

"Zac...Zac who?" Esmeralda asked not able to think who she meant.

"Zac Hawthorn, you know the boy who was in the spelling bee last year." Ethel replied informing her sister who she meant.

"Oh you mean the one you have a crush on." Esmie asked laughing as her sister's cheeks turned red.

"I do NOT fancy Zac why does everyone always think that?" Ethel asked not getting why everyone was always saying that to her.

"Because you got so tongue tied you only managed to say Frogspawn." Esmeralda replied logically.

"Okay fine but..." Ethel stopped "He is coming over here." Her panic rising as he slowly approached her closer.

"Oh really let me see." Esmie said as both girls looked up spying as Zac rounded the corner holding a book.

Zac happened to glance up at that moment and both girls quickly looked down grabbing a book and pretending they were studying. Both girls kept their heads down as they heard him coming closer.

"You two go to Cackle's Academy don't you?" he asked recognising them.

Both girls looked up at him innocently as if they had not just being staring at him.

"That is right." Esmie replied politely to him.

"Oh yes I remember you, you were on the spelling bee team." he said looking at Ethel, causing her to get embarrassed as he looked at her and managed to elbow her book off the table.

Zac walked over to the fallen book and picked it up handing it to Ethel with a smile not seeming to notice she was embarrassed.

Ethel opened her mouth to thank him but instead of saying thank you she said 'broomstick'. Zac gave her a funny look but then another boy called his name.

"I have to go, see you around sometime." Zac said waving to them having to leave them. Ethel nearly fell of her chair and grabbed onto Esmie for support. Once he had gone Esmie broke into a smirk.

"Don't say anything." Ethel said knowing she was going to say something.

"Aww but it is cute, little Ethie has a crushy!" Esmie said in a baby voice causing her sister to blush more.

"Oh well, you embarrassed yourself with that Spanish boy and I embarrassed myself with Zac so we are even." Ethel said . Both girls looked at each other and remembering how they had embarrassed themselves they started to laugh.

* * *

As they laughed a lot of people looked at them with a glare as of course libraries were supposed to be quiet. The sisters laughed holding onto each other for support, they carried on like this until they felt the presence of someone standing over them.

Both girls looked up into the face of a woman who looked just as stern as Hardbroom and even had her hair in a bun but it was much messier and a pair of glasses on the end of her nose. Both girls knew this was the librarian.

"Will you both be quiet, this is a library." the woman said telling the sisters off.

The two girls stopped laughing trying to be quiet.

"We are sorry" Esmeralda replied seeing her sister trying her best to not laugh. The librarian turned away from them.

As she turned away Ethel gave her sister a sideways look and not able to hold it in anymore she snorted causing the two of them to burst into laughter again. The librarian turned around looking incredibly angry.

"That is it get out!" she shouted taking them off guard having had enough of their laughter.

"What?" Esmeralda replied shocked having not expected her to say that to them.

"This is a library not a fun house if you can't control yourselves leave." she said wanting her library to be peaceful and not tolerating children that are going to be causing havoc in there.

Both girls stood up still laughing and started walking home with their arms linked.

"I can't believe we got thrown out a library." Esmie said laughing some more thinking of how funny that whole situation was.

"Wait till Sybil hears she will be cracking up." Ethel replied excited to share that hilarious turn of events with her younger sister.

The two girls headed home arm in arm, both smiling and laughing together every so often having both had a good day together even if they got kicked out of a library for laughing.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The two eldest girls were happily spending their days together but something was eating away at Esme. She needed to know why her parents hated her little sister so much, she could not go on anymore not knowing and she had a plan to find out the truth.

The last day before they went back to school Esme knew both her mum and dad were starting work very early and finishing very late meaning she had her chance. Esmeralda woke up at eight knowing she had a good hour before Ethel and Sybil got up.

Esmeralda quietly tiptoed out of her bedroom and down the hall until she reached the door to her parents room which neither girl was allowed in normally. Esme looked around making sure that the coast was actually clear before pushing the door open and quietly going in closing it behind her.

* * *

Esmeralda looked around the unfamiliar room and saw a large bedroom with a double bed, a bedside table and different wardrobes and cupboards. Esme walked to the nearest drawer and opened it taking things out looking for anything that would give her a clue as to what had happened for her parents to hate her sister. She knew it had to be something bad for her parents to hate her sister for twelve years.

After she had checked one drawer she put everything back the same way it was before so that no-one would get suspicious before moving onto the next drawer.

Esmeralda checked drawer after drawer of her parents possessions but found nothing that would give her a clue as to why her parents treated her little sister so badly. She was seriously considering giving up figuring they must not have left anything in there that would provide a clue when she found three leather bound books.

Esmeralda remembered them. They were diaries her mother had written when she was pregnant with each of her children and about their milestones and achievements in the first years of their lives. Esmeralda saw the first one was labelled 'Esmeralda 2005' and then the second was labelled 'Ethel 2007' and then finally the last was labelled 'Sybil 2008'. Grandma Josephine had told her at one point Ethel was loved by her parents but it changed just after she became a year old. Esme put hers and Sybil's diaries on the bed and picked up Ethel's.

It was locked but Esme cast a quick spell causing the lock to open and she flicked through the book seeing the pages full of writing. Finally she reached the last entry seeing something strange.

The entry ended so abruptly it was really weird it said:

' _I am not sure if Ethel realises she is going to have another sibling yet, but I suspect that she will find the change hard when the baby comes, right now Et'_

That was exactly how the entry ended and Esmeralda stared at the page beyond confused as to why her mother would leave the entry like that but it was only when she was looking at the entry again that she noticed the date of the entry.

' _26_ _th_ _April 2008'_

"Sybil's birthday..." Esme said out loud to herself.

She quickly put the diary on the bed and picked up Sybil's once again unlocking it but this time finding the first entry.

' _Sybil is weak. She is over three months early and the doctors don't know if she will even survive the night. I cannot ever forgive Ethel for this, I can never forget what she did to her sister'_ Esme narrowed her eyes confused at what was written in the entry. What exactly did Ethel do to Sybil? She still did not understand it as her mother had not gone into detail.

Esme was just flicking through trying to find out more information when suddenly the bedroom door opened and her mother walked in.

* * *

"Esmeralda what are you doing!" her mother said causing the oldest to drop the diary in shock.

"What happened with Sybil?" Esmeralda asked her mother not answering her mother's question.

"What do you mean?" her mother asked confused. Her daughters all knew the youngest had been premature.

"I read the diary, you put you could never forgive Ethel for what she did to Sybil, what did she do just tell me" Esmeralda said not wanting to mess around anymore and wanting to know the long hidden truth.

Her mother stood in front of her eldest looking at her seriously before she decided just to tell her the truth. She knew too much already.

"The sister you love so much...she nearly killed Sybil." her mother replied not elaborating on the details.

"I don't understand" Esmeralda replied confused what she meant.

"Sybil being premature is her fault, she was messing around with magic and she hit me, I told her not to mess around but she wouldn't listen." her mother said bitterly still sharing the smallest of details.

Esmeralda stood there as she let the truth hit her. Finally she knew why her parents had a problem with Ethel but she still did not get why it was a big deal. There were still things that made no sense.

"But Sybil is fine and she has no long term problems due to being born so early, so why is that a reason to hate Ethel still?" Esmeralda asked not understanding why they treated her so badly just because of that.

"Because Ethel did it on purpose, you should have seen the look she had when she cast the spell." her mother replied angrily recalling what happened.

Esmeralda knew what look her mother was talking about. The famous evil glare Ethel had when she was acting up but she also knew her mother was an incredibly smart woman so she did not understand how she had not thought of the most obvious thing.

"Mum...Ethel's magic did not cause this, she was a one year old her magic was so weak you would not have felt anything." Esmeralda replied smartly knowing for a fact Ethel could not have caused her mother to go into premature labour.

"She is evil, she is not like you and Sybil she wanted Sybil to die, she didn't want a little sister, I know for a fact she wanted us to lose her." her mother told her eldest disclosing how she really felt about Ethel.

"Ethel is not evil!" Esme shouted sticking up for her sister, she knew her sister was not evil.

"Oh yes she is, since she was born she has always had that evil look in her eye. I can't believe after what you found out that you are still sticking up for her." her mother replied shocked that Esmeralda wasn't on her side still.

"Because I love her and I know she is not evil, how can you say that about your own daughter?" Esme asked hurt they could feel that way. It was no wonder Ethel was so messed up if her mother actually thought that about her.

"Because she is, it was the best thing your father and I ever did cutting her out of our lives." her mother replied telling her what she honestly thought.

"No it wasn't...Ethel didn't deserve the way you treated her." Esmeralda replied growing upset

"Oh as if it matters she is not going to be here much longer anyway!" her mother replied in her anger before realising what she had said.

"I beg you pardon?" Esmeralda asked shocked "What is that supposed to mean?" the eldest blonde sister asked raising her eyes at her mother.

"I can't deal with Ethel anymore so she is going to go live with Grandma Josephine for a bit." Mrs Hallow replied as if it was a normal thing to send your child off to the other side of the world.

"You can't send her to Australia!" Esme replied feeling her heart beat rapidly at the very thought.

"It is for the best" her mother replied simply with no feelings at all about it.

"The best for who? Ethel has only just started to actually behave in school how is it for the best?" Esmeralda asked not understanding.

"Don't raise your voice to me, I am fed up of your attitude" her mother replied fed up with her daughter yelling at her all the time.

"I can't lose her" Esmeralda replied. They were getting along so well now and she could not bare the thought of being so far away from her.

"Go with her then, just make up your mind" her mother replied unfeeling towards her.

If they had had this conversation before Ethel was diagnosed with depression her mother would have been begging her eldest to stay. Esmeralda realised then how much their relationship had changed in the space of a few months.

* * *

"Ethie is the most important person in my life, wherever she goes I will go" Esmeralda replied reassuring her mother.

"You know Esmeralda I am disappointed in you, I really thought after you found out the truth you would not see Ethel as this perfect person anymore" her mother commented annoyed.

"I don't see her as a perfect person, she has flaws but so do I." Esmeralda replied honestly.

"She nearly killed your little sister! How can you still be on her side?" her mother asked by this point shouting.

"It wasn't her fault she did not know what she was doing!" Esmeralda told her mother logically. Ethel was barely a year old at the time she was amazed her mother even passed any blame onto the middle daughter.

"I told her not to do it! I told her to stop messing around but she never flaming listens!" her mother went on bitterly.

"Oh so it is Ethel's fault you can't control a one year old?" Esmeralda threw back knowing her Mother should have been able to control a one year old.

"Don't you dare put this on me!" Mrs Hallow shouted stepping closer to her child.

"You can't put this all on Ethel, if she was acting up you should have disciplined her like a normal mother would!" Esmeralda shouted in her anger.

"How dare you say I am a bad mother" Mrs Hallow replied insulted her child had said that.

"But you are a bad mother, you are never even flaming here!" Esmeralda replied getting her anger off her chest.

With that Mrs Hallow slapped her eldest daughter around the face. Esmeralda realised what had happened and held her now red cheek only able to stare at her mother in shock. She walked out the room no longer wanting to look at the woman before her any longer.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

After her mother had hit her Esmeralda knew any relationship they once had was now gone. She did not condone violence but in a way she was glad that it had happened because now she had an excuse not to have anything to do with them.

Esmeralda had not told Ethel the truth. It would destroy her if she knew what her parents thought of her and she would only blame herself if she found out she might have caused Sybil to be born early. It was best to keep it from her, she already felt bad about herself.

Now that she wanted nothing to do with her parents Esmeralda felt she no longer had to do everything perfectly, she knew sometimes breaking the rules was okay because it needed to be done and Ethel's thirteenth birthday was a week after returning to school. Their parents had never fussed over Ethel's birthdays but this year Ethel would enjoy her birthday.

* * *

Esmeralda was currently stood in the main hallway on her prefect duties when she saw Mildred, Maud and Enid walk past. She smiled as she saw them.

"Mildred" the older girl said catching her attention, Mildred turned around nervously thinking what she could possibly have done now to be told off for.

"Come here" Esmeralda said wanting to talk with her, Mildred looked at her two friends before walking over to Esme.

"It wasn't me...I didn't do it" Mildred said not wanting to be told off when she really had done nothing this time.

"You aren't in trouble...listen I need your help" Esme said starting to explain what she needed.

"Our help?" Enid replied confused as to why someone like Esmeralda would need their help.

"It is Ethie's birthday on Sunday, I am going to throw her a surprise party" Esme replied quietly not wanting to be overheard.

"Do you mean throwing it at night?" Maud asked her confused if that's really what she was saying.

"Yes that is right" Esme replied clarifying what she meant.

"You do realise you will be breaking the rules, if we get caught we will get in trouble" Enid replied knowing the girl always tried not to get into trouble.

"I know. But Ethie's happiness is important to me, would you three be able to pass the message around?" Esme asked knowing that the three girls could get it around the school fast.

"Sure, but what about food?" Mildred asked curious if they would have food and how they would get it.

"I can steal some from the kitchens" Enid commented as if it was normal to steal.

"Or" Maud said looking at her friend "We can see if anyone else can help with cooking" Maud replied not liking the idea of stealing.

"Well we have a few days we don't need to worry about that right now" Mildred commented before replying again. "We will get the message around" Mildred told the head girl.

"Thanks, oh but don't tell Sybil, she would never be able to keep it a secret" Esmeralda replied knowing Ethel would find out if her little sister knew.

"We won't, I can't wait" Enid said already excited for the party.

* * *

The problem Esmeralda had was keeping it from Ethel. The two girls were basically together a lot of the day now and the thing was Esme was really bad at lying so she suspected Ethel saw through her.

"You know you are awful at keeping secrets" Ethie commented one day as she and her sister spoke in Esmeralda's room.

"I am not hiding anything" Esmeralda replied trying to hide it from her

"Yes you are...is it an boy? Ooo is he cute?" Ethel asked her sister getting excited at what it was she was hiding.

"No it is not a boy, I am hiding nothing" Esmeralda said wishing the week would hurry up before she or someone else blabbed.

* * *

Finally Sunday was here. Everyone went to bed like normal but at midnight Esme's alarm went off. The other students were already setting up the party with Sybil her job was to get Ethel. She sneaked out of her room and down the quiet corridors to the second year corridor and walked into her sister's room. Ethel was sound asleep.

"Ethie...Ethie wake up!" Esme said shaking her sister to wake her up.

Ethel moaned and turned to look at Esme rubbing her eyes.

"What time is it?" Ethel asked wanting to go back to sleep.

"Sybil is gone...I went in her room and she was gone" Esme lied knowing she had to think of something for her sister to come with her.

"We have to find her before HB does" Ethel commented as she sat up and put her slippers on.

The two girls walked around the castle pretending to look, Esme slowly leading her sister down to the dungeons where her secret party was being held. Finally she had led her to the right place and told her sister to go look in an area as she texted one of the older students letting them know they were there.

"HELP ME" Sybil shouted trying not to laugh as it was part of the plan.

Ethel turned in the direction of the room and ran in Esme behind her beaming. Ethel opened the door and stepped into the room.

"Sybil where are you?" Ethel whispered hoping to find her fast.

Just then students jumped out shouting surprise causing Ethel to jump.

"What is going on?" Ethel asked still not understanding.

"Happy Birthday Ethie" Esme said stepping in front of her from behind her. Ethel then looked around and noticed food laid out on the tables with balloons and streamers and a banner saying 'Happy Graduation'.

"Sorry it was all I could find" Enid replied simply. Ethel smiled as she had thought her sister had forgotten her birthday as they had not done much during the day.

"You did this?" Ethel asked shocked her sister had gone to the effort and had broken the rules of the school to do it.

"You didn't think I forgot did you?" Esme replied to her, Ethel smiled and hugged her sister.

There were students from every year at the party and Ethel was surprised that they all managed to fit. Somehow them all being in their pyjamas made it better.

"You can hug later, let's party!" Enid said as the party got underway.

The party started with quiet music and food that everyone happily ate. Everyone talked happily enjoying themselves. Everyone sang Happy Birthday and some gave Ethel presents.

"I have been looking forward to this cake all week" Enid commented as she took a large slice of chocolate cake.

"Me too, it is the best part of a party" Maud said taking a piece of cake for herself.

Mildred, Maud and Enid all ate a bit of the cake at the same time only to spit it out seconds later.

"It tastes like cardboard" Mildred commented disgusted.

"Esmeralda said she made it didn't she?" Maud asked surprised that it was so bad.

"Yes I think so, that is the worse cake I have ever eaten" Enid replied drinking some water to get rid of the taste.

"How can someone who is so perfect at everything make something so bad?" Mildred asked her friends.

Just then Ethel walked up to them with a smirk.

"Thanks for helping" Ethel said grateful they had helped with the party.

"Oh no problem" Mildred replied simply.

"What do you think of the cake?" Ethel asked them knowing what it would be like.

"It's...really...different" Maud replied not wanting to hurt Ethel's feelings by saying how bad of a cook her sister is.

"I suppose you all helped me so I will help you, Linda Caldroncake has some cake from the shop that she is giving out" Ethel told them kindly. When the girls just stared at her she carried on.

"I live with my sister, she has baked stuff before and...well it is always really bad so Sybil and I always switch the food, go on before the nice cake gets eaten" Ethel told them wanting to ensure they got some.

"Thank you Ethel" Enid said as she rushed towards the older pupil for some nice cake.

* * *

The party was fun. Everyone danced and sang to their favourite songs. Ethel actually thought she could not dance so normally did not like to in front of people but right now she joined in with everyone else.

"We need to do this more often!" Sybil commented as she jumped around dancing.

"Whose birthday is next?" Esme asked everyone in the room.

"MINE!" Mildred said wanting to have a party for hers too.

Suddenly the song changed and a lot of people squealed as they heard what it was.

"THE CONGA!" Sybil shouted as she heard the song.

"Come on let's do it!" Enid shouted ready to join in happily.

Everyone got into a line and started doing the conga, starting with Ethel then Esme and Sybil then Mildred, Maud, Enid, Felicity and the other pupils.

"DO THE CONGA" everyone shouted as they did just that.

* * *

Everyone suddenly jumped as the door slammed open and there stood HB in her nightclothes not looking impressed.

"What on earth is going on here?" she asked as everyone stood still and someone turned the music off.

"Oh Hi Miss Hardbroom...want to come and do the conga?" Ethel asked with a smile as all the other pupils looked at her trying to seem innocent.

"I have no idea what that is but no I do NOT wish to do it, now get to bed all of you and go to sleep, you are already going to be severely punished tomorrow so I would go straight there, GO!" she shouted angrily that they were all out of their bedrooms during night time.

* * *

Everyone ran out the room and started walking back to their bedrooms all thinking it had been worth it.

"Oh Ethie I forgot to give you this" Esme said walking into her room with her. She was in trouble anyway a little bit more would not make a difference.

Ethel took the present and unwrapped it and found a small velvet book. Inside was a silver locket. She lifted it out and saw a symbol on it that looked like two E's joined together.

"It is an antique, I saw the symbol and knew I had to get it, I got it engraved too" she said as Ethel turned it over.

"To Ethie, all my love Esme xx" she smiled and opened it seeing a small picture of each of them inside.

"I love it thank you" Ethel said hugging her sister happily.

"Here" Esme said as she put it on her sister and smiled "Just wear it under your uniform, you know HB will not be happy if she sees it" Esme told her not wanting it confiscated.

"Thank you, this is the best birthday I have ever had" Ethel said honestly.

"Good, that is what I wanted to hear" she said with a smile before walking nearer to her.

"I best go, you know what Sybil is like she will be running around her room, goodnight" Esme said kissing her on the forehead.

"Goodnight Esme" she said as her sister walked to the door.

"Oh Esme" Ethel said remembering something. Her sister paused and looked at her.

"Yes?" Esme asked intrigued what else Ethel wanted to say to her.

"Thank you" Ethel said again loving everything that Esme did for her.

"You are welcome, goodnight I love you" Esme said smiling deeply at her sister.

"I love you too" Ethel replied just as her sister closed her bedroom door.

Ethel fell asleep straight away, a smile on her face the whole time.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The next morning, Esmeralda, Ethel, Sybil, Mildred, Maud, Enid, Felicity and the rest of the girls who had been involved in the party were stood in Ada's office. Ada walked down the line of girls hands behind her back as she spoke.

"Really girls having a party at night, all of you should know better" Ada said scolding the girls.

"Miss Cackle" Esme said "It was Ethie's thirteenth I was just trying to give her a good birthday for a change" Esmeralda told her teacher.

"Esmeralda as head girl you should be setting an example to your sisters and fellow pupils not encouraging them to break the rules of the school to have a party" Ada replied thinking there was no excuse to have a party that late no matter whose birthday it was.

"I am sorry Miss Cackle it will not happen again" Esmeralda replied feeling bad she had gotten everyone else into trouble.

"Yes well I do not want to hear of any more parties happening, everyone who was involved with this party will receive two detentions with Miss Hardbroom" Ada told them handing out a punishment.

"Yes Miss Cackle" the young girls chanted back before being told they could leave. Hecate looked like she was ready to explode.

"Ada...do you really think that is a big enough punishment?" the dark haired woman asked shocked the pupils had been left off so easily.

"It was only a party Hecate, plus with how Ethel Hallow has been suffering mentally this last year I for one think it is a good thing she is breaking the rules...it means the old Ethel is coming back" Ada replied with a chuckle.

"Very well Headmistress" Hecate replied looking less than happy at the punishment they were given.

* * *

Esmeralda had actually never received a detention before so did not really know what to expect. Sitting in the classroom the girls were given lines of 'I must not throw parties at night' and made to write it one hundred times. Esme was writing her forth line when she felt something hit her back, she turned around and saw a screwed up piece of paper on the floor and after making sure HB was not looking in her direction she picked it up and unfolded it. The note said

'HB is only mad because she did not get any cake, maybe you should bake her some' Esme glanced up and saw Ethel smirking but HB noticed.

"Ethel Hallow move to sit next to Felicity" HB told her forcing her to move to Felicity who was on the other side of the room.

"Why miss?" Ethel asked acting innocent.

"Because you seem unable to be sensible around your sister, now move!" HB said sternly, Ethel moved with a side smirk to Esme as she did so.

* * *

The next day the two eldest sisters were in Esmeralda's room lying stomach down on her bed as they studied. It was mirroring hour and as neither girl mirrored their parents anymore they decided to use the time to study.

"We should sneak HB some laughing potion, it might lighten her up a bit" Ethel commented as she wrote the essay that was due for said teacher.

Esme chuckled but kept her eyes on the piece of paper she was writing on "Or we could sneak her some love potion, imagine she thought she was in love with Mr Rowan-Webb or something" Esmeralda replied laughing at the thought.

"That would be hysterical, imagine her chasing him down the corridor trying to kiss him" Ethel replied with a smile as she messed with her sister.

"And then Bat finds out and curses her for trying to steal her man!" Esme replied with a wide smile.

Both sisters started to laugh as they joked around and they thought of the incident occurring and then they started to laugh more and just then HB appeared in the room using a transfer spell.

"What on earth is all this noise about?" Hecate asked them having heard how loud they had been.

"We are just studying Miss" Ethie replied as she looked at her teacher.

"Studying does not require laughing and for goodness sake sit up you are not at a sleepover!" Hecate told them not liking the way they were lying down to do their work. Both girls quickly moved to sit up.

"Sorry Miss" Esmeralda replied simply. Hecate now satisfied the girls were behaving nodded before disappearing. The second she had gone both girls lay on the bed again talking quietly as the door opened. Both girls jumped thinking it was their teacher back.

"Hello" Sybil Hallow said as she entered the room.

"Sybil don't do that, I thought you were HB" Esme told her clutching her chest.

"Sorry but I had to come and tell you" Sybil said seeming overexcited about something.

"What's up?" Ethel asked curiously.

"Well I went to mirror mum and dad but before I had a chance to call them Grandma Josephine mirrored me!" Sybil told her sisters happily.

"What?" Esme said kneeling up also growing excited.

"She wants to talk to you both, she said it is important, she has spoke to me already but she wants to talk to you both" Sybil told them.

As Grandma Josephine lived in Australia it was difficult for her to mirror such a long distance so this was a very rare occurrence. Whatever she had to talk to them about was obviously very important.

Both girls jumped up and ran out the room excited about seeing their grandma. The girls ran down flight of stairs after flight of stairs until they reached the ground floor. Just as they reached the mirror room Mildred Hubble was going in.

* * *

"Mildred" Esmeralda said as she stopped trying to catch her breath from all the running she had done. Mildred turned and looked at the headgirl.

"Do you mind if we go first, our grandma is mirroring us and she lives in Australia we never get to talk to her" Esme told the younger girl.

"Oh sure go ahead" Mildred kindly said as the two sisters ran in and sat down seeing their grandma already waiting.

"Grandma Josephine!" they said sitting down with a smile.

"My girls!" the woman said as she saw her two oldest granddaughters "How are you both?" she asked interested in how they were.

"We are good" Esme replied still out of breath "Sorry we just ran halfway around the school to get here" Esme told her explaining why they were panting.

"I am glad to know you were both so excited to see me" the woman replied with a small laugh.

"What was it you wanted to speak to us about Granada?" Ethel asked her desperate to know what this was regarding.

"The thing is darling your mother contacted me last week and she wanted you to come and stay with me for a while" Grandma Josephine replied getting right to the point.

Ethel smiled the thought of living with Grandma Josephine warmed her heart but then her smile faded as she realised what it meant.

"But I don't want to move to Australia" Ethel replied upset at the thought of being so far away.

"If you are worried about school they have some brilliant ones here" Grandma Josephine told her.

"But I really like Cackle's now I don't want to move" Ethel replied really not keen on the idea at all. She was in two minds, living with her Grandma sounded amazing but not moving to Australia.

"What about you Esmeralda?" Grandma Josephine asked turning her attention to the older girl.

"I can't move my exams are coming up" Esmeralda told her simply.

Suddenly their Grandma broke into a smile "I am glad to hear it" the woman said. The sisters looked at each other confused.

"What do you mean?" Ethel asked not sure if she was saying she did not want the responsibility of looking after them.

"Well girls how do you think I am mirroring you right now?" the woman asked them, hoping they would have been able to figure it out.

"Long distance call?" Esmeralda told her thinking that logically that's how she would have managed to do it.

"You know that they are still figuring out how to call people internationally because they either never work or cut out when you try" Grandma Josephine told them.

"But that would mean you are..." Ethel started to say before their grandma filled in the answer.

"Girls...I have just moved back to England" she told them breaking into a smile. Esme and Ethie looked at each other in shock.

"I figured it was time to come back and looking after my granddaughters would give me something fulfilling and worthwhile to do, so girls...do you want to come and live with me here?" the woman asked them happily.

Esme and Ethie looked at each other before smiling and screaming yes to their Grandma both super happy and excited.

"But what about Sybil?" Esmeralda asked thinking of her youngest sister.

Their grandma sighed before responding "You know your parents would never let her come and I doubt she would want to, I don't like the idea of separating you but you will still be all attending the same school and you will be living close enough to see her very often, that is another reason I moved back, I can't have you two in Australia with your little sister in England you all need to stay together" the woman told them not wanting the girls to be away from each other.

Both girls had expected the answer and nodded, they had to do this in order for their happiness and nothing would change because Sybil would be with them a lot of the time still.

"Thank you Grandma...for agreeing to take us" Ethel said feeling wanted and loved for once in her life by an adult.

"Of course darling I love you both very much and I think it will be good for you both, you don't break up until July so I have time to get everything set up" their grandma reassured them.

"I can't wait" Esme replied happily, looking forward to having somewhere loving to live.

* * *

Half an hour later the two girls left the room both happy and hugging each other before they started doing some weird hand movements involving tapping each other's hands. It was like they were doing a secret code. The crowd gave them a funny look as they ran off.

"What on earth was that?" Maud asked confused what they were doing.

"A secret handshake...we need one of those" Mildred said as the three friends all tried to copy what they had seen but ended up banging their heads together.

"OWW" Enid said holding her head.

"Let's never do that again" Mildred commented also holding her head.

The sisters ran down the corridor both elated from what they had been told but Hardbroom, who seemed to be everywhere they were these days stood in front of them causing them to stop.

"Girls, no running in the corridors!" she told them off scolding them for what they were doing.

"Sorry Miss we are just so happy, we are going to live with our Grandma" Ethel told her with a smile, both girls so happy about starting their new lives away from their parents.


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Here it is the last chapter. I have loved writing this story and really want to thank everyone for their support and reviews and I will be starting an new story very soon.

* * *

Chapter Thirty

Hecate Hardbroom walked into the staffroom clearly annoyed and the rest of the teachers who were having a staff meeting looked up at her curiously, she was after all the first teacher their normally.

"Ethel Hallow is a bad influence on her sister, I have had to give Esmeralda Hallow another detention for being in her sister's room when she should have been in bed, I think I preferred it when Ethel did not want to know her" Hecate told the staff as she sat down.

"I think it is a good thing, the girl is a teenager it is not healthy to only worry about studying all the time she has to give herself time for fun sometimes too" Miss Drill replied happy for the girl to be having some fun.

"There is fun and then there is a complete lack for the rules" Hecate replied angrily not liking these changes in the girl.

"Hecate you have never had a sister but from what I have heard they are just doing what sisters do, we should be happy as Ethel's therapist said she does not feel the girl needs counselling next year so she will not have set appointments that is a huge step" Ada said with a smile proud of how far she had come.

"I suppose you are right" Hecate said with an annoyed look on her face.

* * *

The end of the year passed by quickly and before anyone knew it the summer holidays were upon them. Esmeralda had passed her exams with the highest marks and Ethel no longer needed counselling for the time being. At her last session her therapist had been impressed. She did not even recognise the girl she was counselling anymore as she was so different from the quiet girl who had entered her office full of things she disliked about herself and her life.

"I think the problem I had was gaining my parents love was an obsession, I didn't think or care about everything else and I failed to see the people around me who actually do care" Ethel told her counsellor at the last session.

"That is exactly what I was trying to get through to you" Sandra told her as she beamed that the girl had picked up what she was supposed to pick up. "Focusing on the people who don't care will not make them care but when we really start to look we see a whole lot more people who do love and care for us and they are the ones who will be there through ups and downs" Sandra carried on speaking "That was a quote I read in a book a long time ago, maybe you will come across it one day as I know you love to read" Sandra told her giving her a hint that it was a book that was easily found that she had read it in.

* * *

Since Ethel had stopped pushing her sister away Esmeralda was not as serious as normal, she had learned she could have fun sometimes and still do well and her life did not have to be all about studying.

The last day of school the two eldest girls were very excited as it was their first day of living with their grandmother, their grandmother's new place was two streets way from their parents so they would not have to worry about losing touch with Sybil. Knocking on the door of their new home the girls were giddy with excitement.

The door opened and the two girls fell into their grandmother's arms before seeing their new house for the first time.

"It is amazing" Ethel said trying to look at everything at once.

"I am glad you think so sweetie" Grandma Josephine said happily.

"I am really hungry" Esmeralda complained as neither of them had eaten that day yet as they had left so early.

"Do you have any chocolate spread Grandma?" Ethel asked her being hungry.

"Of course I do, I remember you both like it" their grandma said. It was true both girls did love it but their parents never let them have it as it was bad for them.

"Can we have it with apple?" Esmeralda asked. Their grandma pulled a face and shook her head.

"I still think that is disgusting but if you like it you can have it" she told them. The two girls sat down and then their grandma cut up two apples into slices and gave them the jar of chocolate spread and both sisters happily dipped the apple in the chocolate before eating their slices of apple. Both smiled happily as they ate their favourite treat.

* * *

The two girls soon settled in and soon discovered living with their grandmother provided them with happiness and love, their parents had not liked noise and had not liked them to misbehave and for once the two girls could act as silly as they wanted without fear of being told off.

One day a week into the holidays Grandma Josephine was sitting on the sofa relaxing when she heard banging and shouting from upstairs. She rushed up thinking her granddaughters were injured but nothing was further from the truth.

The two girls were jumping around dancing and singing loudly clearly having a good time.

"What are you two doing?" their grandma asked concerned what they were doing.

"Watching Mamma Mia, sing-along version" Esme replied happily sharing why they were making noise.

The woman watched the two sisters singing along and chuckled to herself deciding to leave them too it.

* * *

Sybil went around fairly often when her parents were at work and the three sisters had a good time watching films and talking and laughing.

"Are you looking forward to your last year at school Esme?" Sybil asked her sister.

"Not really, I will have so much work I will barely have time to sleep" Esmeralda replied knowing the workload was going to be really big in the last year.

"Plus HB has been bugging us these last few months so you will be constantly being bothered" Ethel replied sitting on her bed next to Sybil.

"She is way less annoying then you two" Esme replied with a laugh.

"Hey!" Ethel said grabbing a pillow and hitting her sister with it.

"Hey don't hit me" Esmeralda replied getting another pillow and hitting Ethel back.

Sybil picked a pillow up and the three of them had a pillow fight laughing as they had a good time.

* * *

Ethel was finally happy and for the first time she was experiencing what it was like to be in a household where the adult in charge of her loved her. Grandma Josephine loved her and she did not have to find ways to impress her, she naturally loved her.

Esmeralda and Ethel did not see their parents again that summer but away from their parents the girls were finally able to grow and neither girl felt awkward bringing up the subject of their parents by accident.

Esmeralda was no longer on edge as her sister was no longer blanked. She did not have to choose whose side to be on anymore which took a massive weight off her shoulders. Both girls could relax in their home.

Ethel at the moment was happy, no-one knew if her depression would cause her problems again in the future but at the moment it did not, she was also less jealous of her sister as her Grandma did not compare the two girls but instead talked about the good in both of them.

"Grandma we are going to the library" Esmeralda said one day as her and Ethel linked arms ready to go.

"Okay be careful, come here" she replied wanting to see the girls before they left.

The woman took both of the girls into her arms one in each arm and kissed them both on the head. Ethel closed her eyes not able to believe this moment was real, the girl smiled as she smelled the woman's perfume.


End file.
